Origin
by Saruvi
Summary: Muraki finds a way to poison Hisoka in a dream, which is slowly killing the empath. Tsuzuki and Hisoka finally admit their feelings for each other while trying to figure out how to cure the boy.
1. Poisoned Dream

**Disclaimer**: Yami no Matsuei and the characters Hisoka Kurosaki, Asato Tsuzuki, and other YnM characters are the property of Yoko Matsushita.

**A/N**: Heh, my bf tells me I'm so mean to Hisoka sometimes. But I think I am only because I know Hisoka is much stronger than he believes he is. Anyway, this will probably get dark in some chapters, but for the most part, it's a romance.

--

Hisoka screamed as Muraki pressed the knife to his throat, dragging the tip down his flesh. He cried as the blade circled around his nipples and then delved downwards to press above his belly button. Muraki just snickered in that cool voice of his that the empath hated so very much.

"I never thought I'd get you back in this position bouya," Muraki whispered. His silver eye glinting in the moonlight.

_How did I get here? How can this be happening again?_ Hisoka cried in his mind.

Biting his lip, he held in his tears which made Muraki press the tip of the knife into his flesh, drawing blood. Hisoka cried out.

"Much better. You know how I love your screams," his tormentor told him seductively.

Hisoka would never understand the man's fascination with hurting people, especially him.

Muraki leaned over him, and Hisoka's first thought was please don't let him kiss me. He couldn't handle the man touching him intimately again. Cringing, the boy was relieved when all Muraki did was brush his bangs off his forehead.

"Now I can see those lovely emerald eyes of yours filled with such beautiful pain," Muraki told him.

_Tsuzuki, please help me, please make him stop,_ Hisoka cried as the blade traced around the glowing red marks of the curse Muraki had embedded into his skin when he was thirteen.

"So beautiful covered in red," Muraki whispered, sounding drunk on his sadistic high.

"Please stop," Hisoka begged.

"Not until I'm done," the man over him said.

It seemed to take hours as Muraki retraced every line of the curse marks covering his chest with the knife. Hisoka couldn't imagine what Muraki was up to this time. He was only concentrating on the boy's chest. And he hadn't raped him again. Having only removed the boy's shirt. All he did was hover over him as the knife lightly brushed along the curse that glared angrily against the boy's chest.

Closing his eyes, Hisoka prayed for this ordeal to be over soon. Wishing his partner would show up to save him. Muraki pulled the knife away but before Hisoka could feel relief, the knife slashed through the skin of one of his arms, blood welling over the wound. Hisoka screamed in pain, as Muraki held the wound open so it couldn't close.

The boy didn't know what was happening as Muraki pulled away from him for a second. Wincing as he felt the doctor's finger suddenly dig into the wound and then trace over a line of the curse with the boy's blood. Like he was painting.

Hisoka passed out from the pain and the loss of blood.

--

"Tsuzuki! Help me!" Hisoka screamed, sitting up in bed, gasping.

Tsuzuki was suddenly in his bedroom, having heard Hisoka scream his name as he lay in his own apartment, comfortably dreaming in his own bed. He'd bolted upright as soon as the voice of his partner sliced through his mind.

Teleporting into Hisoka's bedroom, he saw the boy sitting up in bed, gasping for breath. Tears flowing down his face.

"Soka, what's wrong?" Tsuzuki asked walking over to take the boy in his arms.

Hisoka pushed himself closer to his partner as the man sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling him close. Burying his face in the man's chest, he began crying again as the dream came back to him.

"Muraki, dream, pain," Hisoka stammered out, hiccuping through his tears.

"Shhh, it was just a dream. You're alright now. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you," Tsuzuki cooed to his frightened partner.

It took awhile before Hisoka calmed enough to lay back down in bed, ready to try to sleep again. Tsuzuki got up and pulled the covers over the boy, turning to leave.

"Don't go," the small voice said in the dark.

"Soka," Tsuzuki sat down on the bed again.

"Please, stay with me. Please Tsu, I don't want to sleep alone," Hisoka pleaded.

Tsuzuki nodded and laid down next to Hisoka, pulling the boy into his arms, whispering softly that everything was alright, he was there and he would never leave him. Hisoka slowly drifted back to sleep.

--

The next day at the office, Hisoka looked pale and his eyes were lifeless. Tsuzuki kept asking him what was wrong, if he was sick, but the boy would just say he was tired. By lunchtime, Tsuzuki was bouncing around the office pleading for Hisoka to let them go to Chijou for lunch and something sweet.

Hisoka just nodded unenthusiastically, and got up to pull on his jean jacket. He felt dizzy as his head swam with pain and he wobbled. Tsuzuki noticed and grabbed him before he fell. Lifting him up in his arms, he brought him to the infirmary despite protests from Hisoka.

--

"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him Tsuzuki," Watari said, going over the results of the tests he'd run on Hisoka.

Tsuzuki had told the scientist everything, including the nightmare the evening before.

"He almost passed out in our office. He didn't eat anything today and he keeps saying he's tired, but he slept last night," Tsuzuki explained.

"Well, I can keep him here..." Watari started as suddenly, Hisoka began screaming in pain.

Both men rushed over to the boy's bed watching in shock as the curse flared and blazed across the pale skin. Hisoka was gasping for breath between his screams and Tsuzuki took him in his arms trying to calm him down.

Watari watched in horror as blood trickled from Hisoka's curse marks. Something he'd never seen happen in all the time he'd known the boy. Quickly rushing to his desk, he grabbed some gauze and returned to Hisoka's bedside, swabbing at the blood.

"I'm going to run some tests on this. I've never seen this happen to him before when the marks flared," Watari told Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki was struggling to calm his partner down. The boy kept screaming as tears fell from his eyes. The amethyst eyed shinigami kept calm as he softly whispered soothing words to the boy. Hisoka shuddered as he suddenly stopped screaming. The curse marks fading quickly.

"What the hell?" Tsuzuki whispered.

Hisoka had passed out in Tsuzuki's arms. The man wiped the boy's face with a tissue as he held him in his arms, not wanting to let him go. Watari came back half an hour later with a clipboard in his hands.

"Tsuzuki, I ran a test on the blood from the marks," Watari said.

"And?" Tsuzuki prompted.

"He's... bon's been poisoned. His blood is breaking down and he..." Watari couldn't say it.

"He's been poisoned? How?" Tsuzuki asked confusion on his face.

"I don't know. But you said he had a nightmare last night about Muraki painting over his curse with his blood," Watari said, when Tsuzuki nodded, the scientist continued, "I think, Muraki somehow used that dream to poison bon through the curse."

"How is that possible?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I don't know. But we've always known bon has a connection with Muraki. We need to find a way to cure this before bon..." Watari trailed off.

"Before he what Watari?" Tsuzuki demanded.

"He's dying Tsuzuki," Watari said.

"How? He's already dead," Tsuzuki was confused. How could Hisoka be dying if he was already dead?

"The poison is eating away at his soul. It'll eventually kill him," the blonde told him.

Tsuzuki froze, his arms tightening around his partner, who winced and opened his green eyes. The boy stared up at his partner, questioningly.

"Tsu, what's wrong?" Hisoka asked.

Tsuzuki suddenly felt as though his world were crashing, as tears fell from his eyes.

"Soka," Tsuzuki whispered, burying his head in the boy's honey colored hair.

Hisoka looked at Watari, who looked away.

_What's going on?_ Hisoka wondered.


	2. Backlash

It had been three weeks since Hisoka had been taken to the infirmary. Three weeks since he'd been told he was slowly dying. Three weeks since he'd moved in with Tsuzuki. He remembered sitting on the bed in the infirmary, his eyes staring at his partner but not really seeing him. He remember not believing what Watari had told him.

He'd just sat there, as Tsuzuki's tears fell and his arms wrapped tightly around him, trying to comfort him.

"I'm really dying?" Hisoka had asked.

"I'm sorry bon, but I ran the test twice. Both times it came up with the same result," Watari answered.

"Do you know how long I have this time?" he'd asked.

"I don't know. A few months? A year? I couldn't tell you. I think only Muraki..." the blonde replied, but Hisoka had screamed at him to shut up.

"Don't talk to me about Muraki! He did this to me! Again! I don't want..." Hisoka had broken off, choking on tears. He'd tried to calm himself down, asking if he could go home.

"Yes," was all Watari had said, knowing keeping the boy wouldn't be of any help. And Hisoka had looked up at his partner, apologizing in his eyes as he teleported out of the infirmary to his apartment.

_Damn Muraki!_ The empath had cursed to himself.

Hisoka hadn't even realized when he'd slammed his fist into the wall in his living room. The paint cracking under his assault. Didn't realize it when he picked up some books he'd left on the coffee table and flung them across the room, their hardcovers smashing into the pictures he'd hung up. He grabbed whatever his hands came into contact with and threw it.

Walking into his kitchen, he didn't remember opening the cabinets and throwing his dishes and glasses on the floor, at the walls, against counter tops. Glass shattering everywhere and he didn't care. He was so angry, so full of rage and hatred for the situation he was now in.

He didn't want to die. Not again. Once was enough. At least the first time, it had been a slight blessing to be free of the agonizing pain his body had been subjected to for three years. A way away from the hatred he had felt from his parents and others.

But now, he'd finally found things, people, who he cared about. And one that he'd fallen in love with. Though, he hadn't told his partner his feelings. He'd believed he had all eternity to work up the nerve to confess. Now, he didn't know how long he had.

"I hate you, you son of a bitch!" he screamed. "Why can't you just leave me alone!" falling to his knees, he sobbed into his hands.

"Soka," a soft voice said, as a hand ran through his hair. He looked up to the glistening tear-filled amethyst eyes of his partner.

"Tsu, I don't want to die again!" Hisoka cried, lunging upwards to throw his arms around his partner's neck.

"Soka, we'll figure out how to fix this. I promise. I won't let you go," Tsuzuki was crying with him as he pulled the boy to into the living room to sit on the sofa amongst the mess the boy had created.

"I don't want to leave you. Not when I've..." Hisoka stopped, burying his face in the man's warm chest.

"Not when you've what Soka?" Tsuzuki prodded, lifting the boy's chin up with his fingers. Amethyst searching emerald.

"I love you! I love you so much! I don't want to leave you!" Hisoka screamed. His whole world was breaking because of some sadistic game Muraki decided to play.

"Baby, please stop. Please calm down. I love you too. I am _not_ letting you go," Tsuzuki told him.

"Watari said the only one who knew how to cure this is Muraki," Hisoka pulled back from Tsuzuki's hold, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"Well, Watari is also working to try to find a cure. But I promise, I will do whatever it takes to make sure you don't..." the older shinigami couldn't complete his sentence. He couldn't bring himself to think of the boy he loved dying and leaving him.

"Tsu, you know not to make promises you can't keep," the boy told him.

"I _will_ keep this promise Soka. I won't let you go," Tsuzuki said firmly.

Hisoka nodded and laid his head on his partner's chest again. They just sat on the sofa, in each other's arms. Tsuzuki hoped he could keep his promise. He would make sure he could. Hisoka meant everything to him and he wouldn't give the boy up without doing everything he could to try to keep Hisoka with him.

"You really should control your temper baby," Tsuzuki murmured awhile later, as his eyes took in the state of Hisoka's once neat and orderly living room.

Hisoka burst out laughing. A high-pitched almost obnoxious laugh. Tsuzuki found himself laughing as well.

"I was just so angry," Hisoka said, sobering up.

"Move in with me," Tsuzuki blurted out suddenly.

"Nani?" the boy leaned back.

"Move in with me I said. I want to spend every moment with you," Tsuzuki replied_._

"Are you sure Tsu? I mean, I don't know if I'm ready for..." Hisoka asked.

"I won't push you for anything you're not ready for Soka, but I want to be with you. So please move in with me. If you want, you can even sleep in the guest room," Tsuzuki told him.

"If I'm going to be living with you, I'm sleeping in the same bed with you," Hisoka answered.

"Does that mean yes?" the older male prompted.

Hisoka nodded, and was suddenly pulled back into his partner's arms and kissed soundly on the lips. Their tongues sparred for a little before they pulled back for air.

Now, three weeks later, Hisoka was finding himself happier than he'd ever been despite the looming black cloud hovering over his head. He had check-ups with Watari once a week to see how he was doing but so far, nothing serious affected him besides the poison. Which you wouldn't even know was slithering around inside him.

Tatsumi had been to Chijou twice to try to locate Muraki to see what he could make the man tell him. But hadn't had any luck finding the elusive doctor.

Hisoka carried on with his duties as a shinigami, but he found himself wishing everyday that the day would end sooner so he could just go home with Tsuzuki and relax on the sofa in his boyfriend's arms. So far, they had only kissed and tentatively touched one another, Hisoka wasn't ready for intercourse just yet. Though, he found himself wanting that more and more as the days went by.

"Tsuzuki, Kurosaki-kun. Terazuma and Wakaba have located Muraki," Tatsumi said coming into their office.

"Where is he?" Tsuzuki asked. Hisoka just sat at his desk, not knowing what to say.

"He's in Tokyo. Terazuma and Wakaba are waiting there for me. I just wanted to let you both know we've found him," the secretary told them.

"I want to go with you," Hisoka said quietly.

"Soka, are you sure?" Tsuzuki asked looking at him. Hisoka nodded.

"I want to know what he did to me. How long I have. Please Tatsumi-san, let me come along," Hisoka asked.

"Alright Kurosaki-kun, but you stay with Tsuzuki and don't go flying off the handle when we talk to Muraki," Tatsumi warned.

Hisoka nodded again, as they prepared to teleport down to Chijou.


	3. Riddle Me This

"Hey kid, hey baka," Terazuma said when he saw Hisoka and Tsuzuki. As usual, the man had a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Do you hear something Soka? I bet if I had ears as big as Terazuma's I could hear what he's saying," Tsuzuki replied. He laughed as the cigarette fell from the other's mouth. Wakaba just sighed.

Terazuma made a movement that looked as though he wanted to lunge at Tsuzuki, but Hisoka jumped in the middle intent on telling the two to quit their bickering when Tatsumi stepped up.

"Enough you two. We aren't here so you two can go at it," the secretary told them.

"Where is Muraki?" Hisoka asked.

"He's having tea in that cafe over there," Wakaba pointed.

When Muraki left the cafe, Tatsumi and Tsuzuki quickly fell in line on either side of the man. Muraki looked amused as Tatsumi pulled him across the street where the others were waiting. Hisoka had to bite his tongue to keep from lunging at the doctor and demanding to know what he did to him.

"Well, my dear Tsuzuki, what brings you here?" Muraki drawled.

"You know why we're here Muraki. What did you do to Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Who? Oh the bouya," Muraki asked, tilting his head.

"His name is _Hisoka!_ What did you do to him?!" Tsuzuki demanded.

"Nothing I hadn't already done, Tsuzuki," the doctor snickered.

Tsuzuki lunged at the man, throwing him to the ground. The white suit the man always wore soaking up the dirt on the ground. Terazuma had to pull Tsuzuki off the doctor. Tatsumi told Tsuzuki to calm down as the man was struggling to get out of Terazuma's hold.

--

Hisoka was angry. Muraki wouldn't tell them anything other than what they already knew. The empath tried to read the doctor, but when the man turned that silver eye on him, he drew back.

"What did you do to me?" Hisoka asked.

Muraki was currently standing a few feet away from him and Hisoka had to force himself not to punch the man.

"Nothing much really. I just figured we should play a new game," Muraki said.

"You sick bastard! What did you do to me!" Hisoka shouted. He was shaking with rage now.

"Soka," Tsuzuki said gently, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"No Tsu, I want to know what he did! I want to know how to get rid of this," Hisoka yelled, shrugging off his partner's hand.

"Muraki, tell us how to cure the poison you put into Hisoka," Tsuzuki said.

"Simple really. Surprised your scientist hasn't figured it out yet," Muraki smirked.

"Stop playing games with us!" Hisoka flew at Muraki, punching him in the face. The doctor reeled back as Tatsumi's shadows took hold of Hisoka to pull the boy off of the doctor.

There was blood on the corner of Muraki's mouth from where his teeth had cut into his cheek from the punch. Hisoka was struggling against the shadows holding him.

"Kurosaki-kun, if you don't calm down, I will order you back to Meifu," Tatsumi told him.

When he stopped struggling, Tatsumi's shadows released him. Tsuzuki took one of his hands in his and squeezed it gently.

"I see the two of you have gotten closer Tsuzuki," Muraki taunted.

"Just tell us how to cure the poison," Tsuzuki demanded.

"Find the origin of it and then you'll be able to cure it. Better hurry though, the bouya only has a few months at most to live," Muraki smirked.

Hisoka tried to lunge at the man again, but Tsuzuki's hand on his shoulder tighted as he held the boy back.

"Why do you always have to talk in riddles you asshole!" Hisoka yelled.

"Just because you don't understand what I say bouya doesn't mean it's a riddle," Muraki said coldly.

"Look Muraki, just tell us how to cure this. No crap about 'finding the origin' of the poison. Just be straight with us," Tsuzuki said. Hisoka was so pissed he was literally spitting in fury, his hair beginning to stand on end.

"Now now my dear Tsuzuki, if I told you everything, what would be the fun in that?" Muraki said.

Tatsumi walked over to Tsuzuki and Hisoka.

"He's not going to tell us anything. At least not with you or Kurosaki-kun here. Let's head back to Meifu and fill Watari in with what we do know and see if he can figure it out," the secretary told them.

"What? But we don't know anything!" Hisoka shrieked.

"Kurosaki-kun, I told you if you didn't calm down I would order you back to Meifu. I think it would be a good idea if you accompanied your partner back there Tsuzuki to fill Watari in.The rest of us will head back there in a bit," Tatsumi said.

--

Hisoka blinked. He was furious at having been sent back to Meifu like a little kid. He wanted to tear Muraki apart to get the man to tell him how to cure this. Right now the boy was pacing in Watari's lab. Tsuzuki was getting dizzy watching him and 003 had already fallen asleep after watching the boy pace back and forth.

"Hisoka, please sit down," Tsuzuki said. Hisoka glared at his partner, who held up his hands in surrender.

"I don't want to sit down Tsu. I want to beat the crap out of Muraki!" Hisoka replied.

"I know baby, but you need to calm down," the man told him.

"From the looks of this, Muraki is telling the truth about finding the origin of the poison. It's tied to your curse, so if we can find out how and what he did to put the curse on you, we can probably cure the poison," Watari interjected.

"Soka, do you remember anything about that night you met Muraki the first time?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Other than the pain? No. I didn't remember about it anyway until Muraki made me in that warehouse," Hisoka answered.

"Right, but now that you do, you don't recall how he put the curse on you?" Watari asked.

"I remember him whispering how beautiful I was and how it felt to be..." Hisoka stopped.

"Soka you ok?" Tsuzuki stood up and took the boy into his arms.

"He told me how good it felt to be inside me as he carved the curse onto me," Hisoka whispered, so only Tsuzuki could hear him.

"I'm sorry you have to remember this baby," Tsuzuki told him gently, holding him tighter.

"It's alright. I only remember bits and pieces of that night. I know there was a lot of blood," the empath said.

"Hey you two, I found something when I just reran the tests on the blood that I got from bon's marks," Watari said.

"What did you find?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I don't know how I missed it the first two times. I wasn't really looking for it I guess. But there's not only bon's dna in the blood. There's another stream of dna. I don't know who it belongs to though," Watari explained.

"Muraki. It's his," Hisoka told them.

"You think? I don't have a sample of his dna. But I can probably find out from the Tokyo hospital he works in. I'll have to hack into their personnel files though," Watari said.

"Ok, we'll have to let Tatsumi know what you're to though," Tsuzuki told him.

Watari nodded his head, "It'll take me a few days to get past their security systems. So when I find out, I'll let you two know."

Hisoka and Tsuzuki nodded as they left the lab.


	4. Wishful Thinking

"Ugh, I hate that man!" Hisoka muttered.

He was pacing back and forth in front of their bed. Tsuzuki was sitting in the middle of the bed indian style watching his partner pace and become more and more irritated.

"Soka? Do you think we..." Tsuzuki started only to be cut off as Hisoka began to rant again.

"He doesn't even treat me like a person! I'm just a _thing_ to him. What a son of a bitch!" Hisoka punched a fist into his other hand.

Tsuzuki sighed. Hisoka wasn't even paying attention to him. It was like all he could think about right then was how much hatred he had for the doctor.

"I know! We could teleport to Chijou tomorrow and grab Muraki as he's leaving work. Then we can take him somewhere and beat him to within an inch of his life so he'll tell us how to cure this!" Hisoka's green eyes took on a evil glint as his mouth turned up at the corners. He shook his fist in the air.

"I don't really think that's..." Tsuzuki was cut off again.

"We don't even have to tell Tatsumi what we're up to. We can just go after work," Hisoka said, stopping in his tracks.

Tsuzuki sighed again. Rolling off the bed, he walked over to the teen. Placing his hands on the boy's shoulders he said gently, "Soka, I don't think we can do that. Muraki isn't inclined to tell you or even me anything."

"That's why we need to beat him Tsu. So he'll have no choice. It's not like we'll be killing him, we'll just be... persuading him to come clean," Hisoka was starting to scare Tsuzuki.

"Hisoka, listen to me," Tsuzuki said, turning Hisoka's face to look him in the eyes, "We can't go around beating people up. We're shinigami. Not loan sharks."

"We're not going to be beating people up Tsu. Just Muraki. And wouldn't consider _that man_ a person," Hisoka growled.

"Please Soka, let's go to bed alright? Watari is going to try to access Muraki's personnel file so we can find a cure for this poison," Tsuzuki told him.

"So you won't let me beat him up?" Hisoka nearly whined.

"No, I won't let you beat him up," Tsuzuki replied.

"Not even a little smack or two?" the boy was practically begging.

"Bed Soka," Tsuzuki said exasperated, pointing to the bed.

"You know, you can be such a killjoy," Hisoka pouted as he climbed into bed.

"I love you too baby," Tsuzuki snickered, crawling in next to the boy as he reached out to turn off the lamp.

--

Watari pushed his long blonde hair out of his face. He was getting frustrated trying to hack into the Tokyo hospital personnel files. They had some pretty good security but Watari knew he would eventually get around them.

"Thought you might like some coffee," Tatsumi said, placing a steaming cup on the desk next to Watari.

"Ah arigatou Tatsumi," the blonde replied.

"Any luck yet?" the secretary asked. Watari shook his head taking a sip of the coffee.

"I am going to try one more time tonight. If I don't break through, then I'll get some sleep and continue tomorrow," he said.

Tatsumi nodded. He sat down in the chair next to Watari's desk, folding his arms over his chest.

"Terazuma suggested we kidnap Muraki and beat him to death," Tatsumi told him.

Watari spit out his coffee as he nearly choked to death at the comment.

"Don't worry, Wakaba threatened to hug him if he did that," Tatsumi assured him.

Watari started laughing.

"I'd actually like to kidnap that man and do some tests on his dna. Might be easier than trying to break into the hospital's files," the blonde muttered.

"Yeah well, Konoe would have all our heads if we did that. And I'm not sure what Enma would do to us. Besides, I'm not completely convinced shinigami can regenerate heads," Tatsumi said disdainfully. Watari smirked.

"What do you think his game is this time?" he asked.

Tatsumi shrugged, "He wants Kurosaki-kun out of the way. Perhaps it's something to do with his obsession with Tsuzuki."

"Hmm, maybe. Or he just wants to torment bon some more. He did fail in getting completely rid of him last time. Now that bon's a shinigami, he'd have to kill his soul to get rid of him for good," Watari replied.

"I might go have a little chat with Muraki tomorrow without everyone. See if I can get him to tell me something he wouldn't while everyone was there last time," Tatsumi told him as he got up and made to leave.

"Sounds good. Are you going to let bon and Tsuzuki know?" Watari asked.

"No, not until I am done. Otherwise, they'll want to come. At least Kurosaki-kun will anyway. He has quite a nasty temper that boy. And that would make Tsuzuki want to come to protect his partner," Tatsumi informed him, "I'm heading home. Get some rest Watari. You're looking ragged."

"Ano, I'll get some sleep after I try to break in one more time," Watari said, waving his hand at Tatsumi's retreating back.

--

Hisoka tossed and turned. He had been trying to sleep for two hours now. Tsuzuki rolled over and pulled him into his arms. Hisoka cuddled against his partner's warm chest. Tsuzuki draped a leg over the boy's making Hisoka squeak in surprise.

"Why aren't you sleeping baby?" Tsuzuki whispered into his hair.

"I keep thinking about things," Hisoka whispered back, cuddling closer.

"What things?" the older male asked.

"You, me. This curse," the boy replied.

"What about you and me?" Tsuzuki asked curiously.

"You ever want to do... things with me?" Hisoka asked shyly, his cheeks flaming in the dark.

"What kind of things?" Tsuzuki teased.

"Baka!" the boy chastised.

"Yes baby, there's a lot of things I want to do with you," the elder whispered.

"Why don't you then?" the teen asked.

"I don't know if you're ready for what I want to do," Tsuzuki told him honestly.

"If you don't try, how will you know if I am or not?" Hisoka whispered.

"Soka, what are you trying to tell me?" his partner asked.

"That I want to try with you. I want to do... more things with you," the boy shyly told him.

"More than kissing and cuddling you mean," Tsuzuki replied.

"Uh huh. I want to go all the way. Or at least try. But if I can't, you will stop if I asked right?" Hisoka asked.

"Of course. I would never force you to do something you didn't want to do," Tsuzuki told him.

"Then, can we try Tsu? I really want to," Hisoka's voice took on a pleading quality, but the boy didn't care. He really wanted to try.

"We can try anything you like baby. Anything you want," Tsuzuki smiled as he told him.

"Arigatou Tsu," Hisoka whispered, "I think I can sleep now." The boy leaned up to kiss him on the lips softly.

"Oyasumi baby," Tsuzuki whispered when they pulled apart to let sleep fall over them.


	5. Colloquy

Early the next morning, Tatsumi had a light breakfast with sakura tea, then teleported down to Chijou. He went straight to Tokyo, to the hospital our infamous doctor works at. Lounging against the wall infront of the building, Tatsumi waited patiently for Muraki to show up to work.

The shadow master stood calmly against the wall watching people coming and going. Two and a half hours later, Muraki sauntered up to the hospital's entrance. He was wearing his usual white from head to toe. His platinum hair blowing in the early morning breeze.

Stopping when he caught sight of the secretary, he tilted his head.

"Mr. Tatsumi, how lovely to see you again. And so early in the day," Muraki said graciously.

"Muraki, let's cut through the pleasantries and get straight to the reason why I'm here," Tatsumi said icily.

"Oh I do know why you're here Mr. Tatsumi. It's about bouya's curse. Or rather, his _new_ curse," Muraki replied.

"His name is Hisoka, not bouya and yes, I would like to know what you did to place the new curse on him," the secretary said.

"Well, shall we go sit somewhere more comfortable? It's rather chilly out here," the doctor asked him still as pleasant as always.

"Lead the way," Tatsumi said coldly.

--

"What do you mean Tatsumi went to talk to Muraki?!" Hisoka shouted.

Tsuzuki put his hands over his ears to block out the high pitched shrieking of his younger partner. Unfortunately, the shouting broke through his hands and he winced. Scratching his head, he tried to figure out a way to calm Hisoka down without having to beg Watari to sedate the teen.

"Like I told you bon, Tatsumi thought it would be better if he went to speak with Muraki alone," Watari told the boy for the third time.

Hisoka glared at the scientist. Then when he heard his partner sigh behind him, he whipped around, pointing a finger at the older man and yelled.

"We have to go to Chijou Tsu!"

"No Soka. We aren't going anywhere except to our office to do our work," Tsuzuki told him quietly.

Hisoka glared at his partner. Huffing, the teen stalked out of Watari's lab, slamming the door behind him and walked down the hallways to their office.

"I bet you're sleeping on the sofa tonight," Watari snickered.

"Soka wouldn't make me sleep there. He likes cuddling with me too much," Tsuzuki drawled mischievously.

Watari laughed. "Bon looked pretty angry."

"Last night he wanted to beat Muraki up to force him to tell us how to remove the curse. This morning he wanted to stake out the man's house. I'm afraid if I don't watch him every second, he's going to sneak off to Chijou and confront Muraki on his own," Tsuzuki told his friend with a sigh.

"Stake out his house? Can't say I blame him for wanting to beat the guy up though. Even Terazuma suggested something along those lines to Tatsumi last night," Watari told him.

"Has everyone lost their minds? Nevermind, Terazuma never had a mind to begin with," Tsuzuki said, making Watari laugh again.

That morning, he thought he would have to chain Hisoka to their dining room table. The boy was so worked up chattering non-stop about what they should do to make Muraki tell them how to cure Hisoka. Tsuzuki was about to lose his mind.

As much as he loved his partner and wanted to find a cure for the poison Muraki put into him, he just couldn't see himself covered in black face paint dressed in all black staking out the man's home like some sort of ninja. Plus, he didn't want Muraki anywhere near Hisoka.

"Bon just wants to find out how to cure this Tsuzuki," Watari said.

"I know. But I'm worried about him. I don't want him confronting Muraki," the shinigami said.

"Let's hope Tatsumi finds out something alright," the scientist answered.

--

"Would you like some tea Mr. Tatsumi?" Muraki asked politely.

"No thank you. I'd like to get right to the point," Tatsumi replied.

"And what point what that be?" the doctor asked, sitting down in a chair and putting one leg over his knee.

"The new curse on Hisoka. How do we cure it?" Tatsumi asked.

"You'll have to forgive me Mr. Tatsumi, but I don't believe I owe you anything. So I am not going to tell you how to cure it," Muraki told him.

The shadows in the room were starting to grow shorter as they crept up the walls and out of corners. Tatsumi didn't get angry very often, but when it came to his friends, he was very protective. Especially of Tsuzuki. He cared for the empath too and since Hisoka was Tsuzuki's partner and lover, Tatsumi was protective of him as well.

"I don't see what your game is Muraki. I would think, you wouldn't have time to mess around with Hisoka with your schedule as a doctor and your... extra-curricular activities," Tatsumi told the man coldly.

"Well, I am a highly respected physician. I don't work long hours and the bouya is such fun to play with. Have you ever thought about trying him out? He's quite... beautiful... when screaming," Muraki's eye had taken on a dreamy quality as the normally calm Tatsumi balled his hands up into fists and a shadow flew up to wrap around the doctor's pale neck.

"Tell me _doctor _what does it feel like when you're not the one in control? And then tell me what you did to Hisoka," the shadow master said calmly.

Muraki was still sitting in his chair, as cold looking as ever, yet, in his eye, Tatsumi could see fear and anger. Fear that the secretary could snap his neck at any moment and anger that he had under estimated the shinigami.

"I used his existing curse to give him a new one. By fusing my blood with his," Muraki gasped as the shadow let go of his throat.

"How do you cure it?" Tatsumi asked.

"You really are no fun Mr. Tatsumi. You should never ask a person to give up all their secrets," the doctor replied.

"How do you cure it? Tell me or you won't be able to eat another meal for a long time," Tatsumi repeated.

As Muraki opened his mouth to answer, the door to his office flew open as a harried looking women in a white nurse's uniform came rushing in. Holding her hand to her chest, she gasped out, "Accident on the bridge. The ER is flooded with people. They need you down there doctor."

"I'll be right there Mary. Arigatou," Muraki said curtly, waving his hand to dismiss her. When she was gone, Muraki stood up and addressed Tatsumi, "As you can see, I'm needed. I'm sure you won't mind if we continue this another time." With that said, the doctor casually walked out of his office.

"Count on it," Tatsumi murmured as he pushed his glasses up before teleporting back to Meifu.


	6. Apprehension

**A/N**: I'm sorry I'm not updating as fast as I usually do. Just bear with me. I have a lot of ideas for this story. I've pretty got the whole 'origin' and cure thing worked out but I won't tell you what those are. So, here's chapter 6. Despite Hisoka being cursed again, and dying, yes again, this is still a romance between him and Tsuzuki, so hence this chapter.

--

"Say Tatsumi, what'd Muraki tell you?" Watari asked, sliding into a chair on the other side of the secretary's neat desk.

"We were interrupted. He still refuses to call the boy by his name. After everything he's done to him, he won't refer to him by his given name," Tatsumi said.

"So you didn't get any info out of him?" Watari hung his head. He had hoped that the secretary could learn more about what Muraki had done to bon.

"Afraid not. But I will go back to talk to him again in a few days," Tatsumi said. Watari lifted his head.

"I'm still having no luck breaking into the hospital's records. I'll keep trying. Tsuzuki is worried about bon," the scientist told him.

"Naturally so. He doesn't want to lose him," Tatsumi replied.

"Not only about that. He says he's having a hard time trying to keep bon from confronting Muraki himself. Bon wanted to stake out the man's house this morning," Watari said.

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. He could swear his entire department was going insane. Shaking his head, the secretary walked back to his office to tally up the department's budget.

--

Towards the end of the day, Hisoka told Tsuzuki he was going to get some tea for himself. Tsuzuki asked the boy to bring him back some coffee and donuts. Hisoka nodded and left for the break room. On the way there, he ran into Watari.

"Hey Watari, could I... um talk to you for a minute?" Hisoka asked.

"Sure bon, what's up?" Watari replied.

"Ano, in private, I meant," the boy told him. The scientist nodded and led the way to his lab. Hisoka followed behind, looking at his feet.

Watari slid onto a stool once the two were in his lab. Hisoka kept standing, but wrapped his arms around himself.

"So, what's up?" the blonde asked.

"I-I want to, um, have... but I don't know... um," Hisoka blushed as he stuttered. He was embarrassed at what he wanted to ask. He would have talked to Tsuzuki about this but he thought since Watari was a doctor, he could help him better.

"I don't know what you're trying to tell me bon," Watari said.

"IwanttohavesexwithTsuzuki," Hisoka blurted really fast, his face turning bright red.

"You want to have..." Watari began but the boy interrupted him.

"Sex with Tsuzuki. I want to have sex with him," the teen said.

"Does he know this?" Watari asked. He was amused watching the boy blush from embarrassment. He never thought he would be having this discussion with the teen.

"Um, yeah. I said I wanted to try. But, I don't know... how to. I mean I know _how,_ but I don't. If that makes sense. I wanted to talk to you... about some things," Hisoka told him, looking at his feet.

"Alright, shoot," Watari said.

"Well, uh, is it supposed to h-hurt the whole time?" the boy asked, he was still staring at his feet, but Watari could see the nervousness in his body language and the waver in his voice.

"No, it only hurts in the beginning. But if your partner knows what they are doing, it becomes pleasurable after a bit," the blonde told him. Hisoka looked up.

"But with Muraki, it... it never stopped hurting. And I am pretty sure he knew what he was doing," the teen mumbled.

"Bon, Muraki didn't make love to you, nor did he have sex with you. He raped you. There's a difference in what he did to you and what you and Tsuzuki will be doing. Tsuzuki won't hurt you. I'm sure of it. He loves you too much," Watari said, "I don't mind talking to you about this, but shouldn't you be discussing this with your partner?"

"I don't want him to know I'm scared. He will think I'm not ready," Hisoka told him.

"What are your other questions?" the blonde asked.

Hisoka shrugged. He didn't really know how to ask his other question. He was blushing furiously now and he felt like he would burst into flames if he got any redder.

"I'm really scared Watari. I want to do this with Tsuzuki, but I'm afraid and I don't know how to get past it," Hisoka's voice hitched as though he were about to cry. He felt like he was going to fail Tsuzuki because he was so afraid of sex.

"Bon, it's alright you know, to be afraid. After what happened to you, you've got every reason to fear having sex. But I can tell you this. When it's with someone who loves you and you love them, it's the most incredible thing ever," Watari told him

"How do I stop being afraid? I keep remembering him and I'm afraid I won't be good for Tsuzuki," the boy whispered.

"Even if you and Tsuzuki never have sex, you will always be good for him. You were so young when you met Muraki. That bastard should rot for what he did to you. But you need to just relax, and tell yourself that it's not Muraki you're with. It's Tsuzuki. And he loves you," Watari said gently.

Hisoka inhaled, breathing slowly, "Alright, I don't want him to think I..." he started when the door to the lab was thrown opened and Tsuzuki walked in.

"Hey Watari have you seen Hi..." Tsuzuki asked, stopping when his eyes fell on his partner, who was beginning to fidget. "Hisoka, I've been looking for you. You went to get tea half an hour ago."

"I'm sorry Tsu, I ran into Watari and I wanted to talk to him about... something," the boy told him. Tsuzuki looked at Hisoka, his eyes questioning, but Hisoka looked at his feet again.

"Can we go home now?" Hisoka asked.

"Yeah let's go home," Tsuzuki said, waving to Watari, "See you tomorrow Watari."

"Hey guys, before you go, here's something you will need," the scientist said, tossing Tsuzuki a tube of something.

Catching the item with one hand, Tsuzuki turned it around and read KY in big letters. He looked at Watari, then at Hisoka. The boy looked like he wanted to crawl into a dark hole. His green eyes were wide and his mouth had opened.

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki questioned. But Hisoka just tugged on the sleeve of the man's black trench.

"Please, can we go home now?" the boy pleaded, his face looked like a fire engine.

Nodding, Tsuzuki teleported them both to their apartment.

--

When they appeared in their living room, Tsuzuki kicked off his shoes watching as Hisoka did the same. The boy then looked as though he wanted to run out of the room and hide, but Tsuzuki grabbed him by the shoulders and turned his face up to his.

"Soka, what's this about?" he asked.

"I-I went to ask Watari something... about s-sex," Hisoka stumbled over the words, he was turning red again.

"You could have talked to me you know," Tsuzuki said gently.

"But you would have thought I wasn't ready and I am," Hisoka told him.

"I see. So what did you ask Watari?" the older male asked.

"I-if it hurts the w-whole time," the boy answered. "But he said no. That it only hurts at first."

Tsuzuki smiled gently. "He's right. I want you to know that I won't hurt you," Tsuzuki assured him.

"I know that, I'm just... a little scared," Hisoka whispered. He leaned up to place a kiss on his lover's lips. Wrapping his arms around the man's neck he was glad when Tsuzuki returned the kiss and held him close.

"I love you. And if you need to know anything, you can talk to me alright?" Tsuzuki whispered when they pulled apart. He nuzzled the boy's neck, making Hisoka lean in closer.

"I love you too," he whispered back. "I just want you to know I'm ready to be with you."

"Alright baby," Tsuzuki gently kissed the boy on the lips. He felt Hisoka start trembling in his arms. Whispering "It's okay to be afraid Soka."

"I don't want to be afraid, but I can't help it. I keep thinking about him and I feel ashamed for that," Hisoka whispered, his green eyes filling with tears.

"Hisoka, listen to me, we are going to take this really slow alright? There's nothing to be ashamed about. This isn't going to be like what Muraki did to you. I'm not going to make love to you until I know you're completely sure you want to do this," Tsuzuki told him, leading him to the sofa and pulling him into his lap.

"I am sure I want this. I promise, I'm just scared," the boy said, burying his head into the man's chest.

"How about we just ease into it? Go out on a date and take it from there. How's that sound?" Tsuzuki suggested. Hisoka nodded.

"Alright. I'm sorry Tsu. I really want this with you," the teen said.

"I know baby, I want this with you too. But we don't need to rush it. So how about we just relax tonight and watch some tv together, then tomorrow I'll take you to dinner," Tsuzuki said.

"That sounds good," Hisoka murmured, as Tsuzuki laid back on the sofa, getting comfortable, he pulled his partner down against him, kissing him on the neck as he reached for the remote.


	7. Torrid

Dreams were always something Hisoka dreaded, until he had moved in with Tsuzuki, he would have nightmares a couple times a week. He hated those nights, where he would wake up afraid, gasping for breath. Sweaty and hot. Calling out for his partner. Who would somehow always hear him calling and show up in his bedroom to hold him until he calmed down.

Sweet and nice dreams weren't something Hisoka was used to. So when he realized it wasn't a nightmare he was having but a really nice dream featuring his partner, he hoped he wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

In his dream, he was walking along a beach, holding his shoes in his hand with his jeans rolled up. The water lapping against his ankles. Both cool and warm on his skin. A soft breeze whispering over his face and hair. The sun was shining and there were birds in the sky.

He looked up when he heard someone calling his name, the figure in the distance running towards him, coming closer with every step. When the figure reached him, he saw it was Tsuzuki. The wind whipping the rich chocolate locks. The amethyst eyes were sparkling as they reached for him and picked him up. Twirling him around in the older man's arms.

"Soka, I love you so much," Tsuzuki chirped, laughing when the boy's sneakers fell from his small hands and fell into the wet sand.

"Tsu-Tsuzuki!" Hisoka stammered, but he wasn't angry. He was happy. He looked into those wonderful eyes and realized, he never wanted to be in anyone else's arms except these wonderfully strong arms of this beautiful man who loved him.

It was still a dream, though Hisoka almost forgot that as Tsuzuki laid him down on the sand, water rushing around to caress him as the older shinigami slowly undressed him. Kissing the flesh that became exposed as each piece of clothing was removed.

And then, Hisoka woke up, hot and sweaty. Gasping for breath. Trembling and moaning for his partner. It was so like how he would feel after a nightmare but so different in that it wasn't fear he now felt, but desire. He wanted his partner. He needed him to hold him. To take away the slow burn that was inching its way over his entire being.

"Soka, you ok?" Tsuzuki asked softly in the semi-darkened room.

Hisoka was trying to calm down his breathing. His heart beating fast and his blood racing through his veins. Hisoka felt as though every flame of the fire building inside him were about to explode, taking him with them.

"Tsu, I... I want you," Hisoka whispered, rolling over to press against his partner's body.

"I thought we were going to ease into this?" Tsuzuki said, moaning as Hisoka kissed his neck. Small hands sliding under his shirt.

"I know we said we would. But I... don't want to wait anymore. Please, let me. Please take me tonight," Hisoka whispered. And he found himself suddenly under his partner as Tsuzuki flipped them over so the boy was under him.

"I won't be able to stop if we start Soka. I want you so much," Tsuzuki told him, his eyes clouding with passion and so much want for the teen that Hisoka felt tears burning the corners of his eyes.

All this for him. He had always thought, he wasn't worthy of affection. The unwanted child of parents who had locked him up when they'd found out about his empathy. The thirteen year old who had been so cruelly defiled, used, broken and left to die slowly.

He was surprised that Tsuzuki's emotions felt so like his own. How they mixed together as they kissed and touched each other's flesh. Exploring one another as their fingers mapped every curve of the other. Hisoka's fear of intimacy was all of a sudden nowhere inside him anymore. Replaced with heat and need and want. Passion mixing with love to make him pant and moan. Writhing under the body of his older partner.

"Please Tsu. Please don't stop. Don't ever stop," Hisoka pleaded, his fingers digging into the flesh of his partner's back. He hadn't even realized they were no longer wearing clothing.

"Soon baby. I don't want to rush you," Tsuzuki whispered back.

Hisoka arched up as a hand slid down between his thighs to squeeze and kneed his now over sensitive flesh. He screamed in pleasure when teeth nibbled on one of his nipples. Causing it to harden into a painfully excited peak. He found himself whining as Tsuzuki pulled away to reach for something in the nightstand.

He moved his hips to grind his erection into his partner's hardened member. The hand between his thighs moving downward to slowly circle around his entrance. Hisoka hissed in pain as the finger slowly entered him. He jerked his head up, staring into those amethyst eyes. His emerald's blinking as the finger moved in and out of him, replacing what once hurt with something that began to simmer and swarm throughout him.

And when another finger was introduced into him, he found himself crying out for more. More of something he couldn't understand. But he didn't need to understand. He just needed to feel. All of it. Everything that his body wanted and desired, his partner gladly gave him.

His body was engulfed as fingers slid in and out of him, causing him to arch up to meet them as they slid in, searching for something. And when those long fingers found it, Hisoka screamed out as his body shook. He whined, his mouth turning into a pout as the fingers were removed.

"You're so cute when you pout," Tsuzuki said, kissing him. The pout disappearing as he opened his mouth to allow his partner's tongue to slip inside and taste him.

Hisoka jerked and a cry escaped his lips as something bigger than those fingers slowly slid into him. Tsuzuki didn't move. Hisoka tried to hold back the tears that filled his eyes and slipped down his cheeks. His partner licking his lips and sucking on his neck. Anything to try to take the boy's mind off the pain he was causing him.

"Shush baby, it'll be better soon," Tsuzuki whispered, kissing his ear and nibbling on his neck.

"Please, move. I want to feel you moving inside me," Hisoka's voice was filled with emotion, coated raw from his tears.

And Tsuzuki began to move. Hisoka closed his eyes and let himself fall into the intensity of their lovemaking. Hips arching up to meet hips. Fingers digging into flesh as both cried out as their bodies spiralled together and they reached out for each other. Only needed one another. They climaxed as one, panting as Hisoka found himself wrapped in his partner's arms. Content and sated. And happy.

--

Later, it seemed as though they couldn't stop touching each other. Before they'd made love, they'd loved to cuddle and kiss each other, but now, it was as though nothing was between them any longer. And touching now meant more than it had before as they realized, they truly did belong to each other in every way they could.

Hisoka whispered how much he loved Tsuzuki, who smiled and whispered the words back. Tsuzuki was surprised when Hisoka rolled over and straddled him, whispering he wanted to again. Tsuzuki just nodded and let the fire sear their flesh and souls again.

At dawn, Hisoka finally fell into a deep sleep a smile on his soft pouty lips. Tsuzuki held him tightly, never intending on letting the boy go.

"I won't let anything take you away from me, never," Tsuzuki vowed as Hisoka cuddled closer in his sleep, a smile finding its way onto the pink lips.


	8. Proliferation

It was really good that the two shinigami had the weekends off from work. They would have had to call out if it had been a weekday. They were just too exhausted after exploring each other throughout the night and the following day to have been able to make it to work.

Hisoka felt contentment for the first time in his life or rather his entire existence since he wasn't quite alive. Nothing he'd ever experienced could take away any of the happy feelings swarming throughout him. He had smiled the entire weekend, though, when he fell asleep Sunday night, he had began to feel achy. Attributing it just being tired.

Monday morning found Hisoka too limp to get out of bed. Normally, he was up and ready to go but that morning, after the weekend of lovemaking, he hadn't wanted to get out of bed. So he'd protested when he had been tugged out of bed and dragged into a warm bath by a smiling Tsuzuki who was uncharacteristically raring to go.

"Ne, Tsuzuki, can't we call in sick?" Hisoka whined, as Tsuzuki shampooed his hair for him.

The boy was so exhausted, he could barely hold his eyes open. He was grateful to have his lover washing him, because he didn't think he could lift his arms. He felt as though he were getting a cold. Tiny shivers running through his body and small aches that he contributed to their weekend activities.

"Soka, you know we can't do that," Tsuzuki told him, rinsing him off, "Come on baby, let me dry you off."

Tsuzuki pulled him up, wrapping a fluffy towel around him. Lifting him up, he walked into their bedroom, placing Hisoka on the bed. The boy just watched as his partner dug into his dresser for some clothes.

Hisoka started coughing. Feeling like he was choking, he spit up over his chin. Lifting a corner of the towel up to wipe himself off, he was shocked when the cotton was no longer white, but red.

"Tsu, something's..." Hisoka began to feel dizzy as he coughed again, blood rising in his throat to splash inside his mouth, as he coughed it up. Trying to wipe it up, but struggling not to choke on it.

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki turned around, his eyes widening when he saw the blood covering Hisoka's mouth and chin.

Dropping the pair of jeans he's pulled out of the dresser for Hisoka, he rushed over to the boy. Patting him on the back, he was relieved when the boy stopped coughing, though, he continued to spit up blood.

"I'm taking you to the infirmary," Tsuzuki told him, lifting him up.

"I... need... something... clothing. Tsu! I'm not..." Hisoka stammered.

He was glad when Tsuzuki put him back down on the bed and went to grab his robe from the bathroom. Pulling it onto the boy's slender frame, Tsuzuki lifted his partner up and teleported them to the infirmary in the Ministry.

--

After what seemed like hours to Hisoka and a very worried Tsuzuki, Watari finally had something worthwhile to tell them. He had taken more samples of blood, from Hisoka's mouth, his arm, his chest and even from the towel that Tsuzuki had brought along.

Tsuzuki was frightened more than Hisoka. After all, it wasn't as though the boy hadn't already been through one curse wreaking havoc on him. He was afraid, yes, but not of being cursed, but of the possibility that they wouldn't be able to cure the curse's poison in time, killing him and causing him to leave Tsuzuki.

"Well, bon, Tsuzuki. I have the results. But I am afraid it's not good news," Watari said somberly.

"Just tell me what it is Watari," Hisoka told him. Tsuzuki grabbed a hold of one of his hands, squeezing it gently.

"The poison is active. It wasn't fully active when I originally tested your blood. Now, though, there is evidence of something else streaming in it, though I have no idea what it is," Watari told him.

"Wasn't it active when it was placed?" Tsuzuki asked, confused.

"No, it was dormant. I was able to pick it up because it was a foreign body in bon's bloodstream. Now, it has become it's own entity," the blonde explained.

"So what does this mean then?" Hisoka questioned.

"It's becoming part of you. Eventually, it'll kill your cells and you will..." Watari broke off.

"Die right? It's alright, you can say it. Not like I haven't been through it before," Hisoka said sardonically.

"Bon, we'll figure this out. I haven't given up on trying to get into those files from the hospital," the scientist said, he was trying to reassure the teen.

"I know, can I go home now? I don't really feel like working today," Hisoka said flatly.

"Soka, let me go talk to Tatsumi alright? You go on ahead and I'll be home in a bit," Tsuzuki told him.

"Fine Tsu," Hisoka replied, climbing out of the bed and teleporting home.

"We were so happy this weekend. Then this," Tsuzuki asked once the boy was gone.

"Tsuzuki, we'll get to the bottom of this," Watari told him.

Tsuzuki nodded sadly before he walked out of the room to talk to Tatsumi.

--

One he appeared in their apartment, Hisoka ran to the bedroom. Flinging himself on the bed, he started crying. He had tried so hard to hold back his tears in the infirmary for fear of upsetting Tsuzuki even worse than the older man already was. Also, he didn't want to look weak in front of Watari. But now, in the privacy of their bedroom, alone with his thoughts, he couldn't fight back the tears.

_Please don't do this to me,_ he cried, pleading with some unknown entity, _I'm finally happy. I don't want to leave him. I don't want to die again._

He didn't want to leave Tsuzuki. Not when he was the reason he had for existing. Why did it always end up like this? Why couldn't Muraki just have died in the fire in Kyoto? Then he wouldn't have done this again and Hisoka would be left to be happy with the man he loved.

"I will make you tell me how to cure this you bastard!" Hisoka screamed.

Sitting up, Hisoka blinked the tears from his green eyes. He would find Muraki in the next few days, after he was feeling a little better. He would make the doctor tell him how to cure this poison. Then, he would make the doctor wish he'd never met him.

He just had to make sure Tsuzuki didn't find out what he was up to. Thankfully, his partner wasn't empathic like he was, so that would be no trouble. He did hate to have that he would have to keep what he was up to a secret from his partner. But if Tsuzuki found out, he would be angry and hurt that Hisoka had confronted Muraki.

But, Hisoka felt that he had to take matters into his own hands if he wanted to spend the rest of eternity with Tsuzuki. Wiping his eyes, he steadied his breathing, his plan set in his mind.

--

"Tatsumi, Hisoka isn't feeling well, so he went home," Tsuzuki told the secretary as he walked into the man's office.

"What's wrong with him besides the obvious?" Tatsumi asked, looking up from the budget forms.

"He was coughing up blood this morning. Watari said the poison is no longer dormant," Tsuzuki explained.

"Ah, alright. Why don't you go home and take care of him? He needs you more than we do right now," the secretary said. Tsuzuki nodded, about to leave he stopped.

"Tatsumi, there has to be something we can do to find out what Muraki did exactly," the amethyst eyed male said.

"What would you suggest Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi asked.

"Well, the other morning, Hisoka wanted to stake out Muraki's house to see when he was gone so he could investigate inside. See if there was anything the man had at home that would give him a clue on how to cure this," Tsuzuki explained.

"And you think that it would be a good idea?" Tatsumi replied.

"Yes. I think we could maybe find something there. And even if we don't, it wouldn't hurt to have a look around," Tsuzuki answered.

"I think we shouldn't limit our search just to his home though. His office might have some useful information to us as well," Tatsumi suggested.

Tsuzuki raised an eyebrow. Tatsumi just shrugged.

"You didn't think Kurosaki-kun and Terazuma-san were the only ones with ideas did you?" the secretary asked, his blue eyes twinkling.

Tsuzuki shook his head, trying to hide a smile.


	9. The Sight of You

Hisoka and Tsuzuki got to stay home for the next few days. Hisoka still didn't feel well enough to go to work, but by the second day, he was feeling much better. He didn't really want to let anyone know he was alright though. If he did, he'd have to go into work and he wouldn't be able to scope out Muraki's house.

So, on the third day, he played sick. He felt he did pretty well as his partner said he would let the Ministry know the boy wouldn't be at work that day. Hisoka did feel very bad for lying to his partner. Well, he didn't actually lie, he still felt sick, but he wasn't as sick as he had been the other day.

"I'll call you if I need you," Hisoka said, standing on his tiptoes to kiss Tsuzuki goodbye as the man was shrugging on his trench coat.

"Ok baby, stay in bed or rest up on the sofa," Tsuzuki told him, kissing him back.

"I will, have a good day and try to get some paperwork done please," the teen said.

"Sure, I'll do my best," the older shinigami replied, teleporting to work.

Hisoka smiled as he ran to take a shower and get dressed. He had an hour before Muraki would be leaving his home for work, so that left the teen time to eat and make a plan.

--

Tsuzuki was a bit relieved that Hisoka wouldn't be going to work that day. Not that he wanted his lover sick, he just didn't know how he would explain it to him when he and Tatsumi took off work to check out Muraki's home.

The two men had decided they'd check out the doctor's home that day and then go to his office on the weekend since Muraki didn't work on weekends and the office wouldn't be occupied.

Meeting up with Tatsumi at a small cafe in Chijou, Tsuzuki arrived a few minutes after the secretary. Quickly ordering himself some coffee and a pastry, he sat down at the small table Tatsumi was at, sipping tea.

"So, how is Kurosaki-kun this morning?" Tatsumi asked.

"He's alright. He says he is still not feeling well, so he won't be in today," Tsuzuki replied, munching on his pastry.

"Ah alright. It's easier though that he won't be in. We won't have to hide what we are doing," the secretary said, draining the rest of his coffee.

Tsuzuki nodded and finished his breakfast, then the two men headed out. Arriving in front of Muraki's house ten minutes later. They were invisible as they watched the doctor leave for the day. Waiting another few minutes, they teleported into the house.

--

Hisoka was upstairs in the doctor's bedroom. He was rummaging around in the doctor's dresser looking for anything that might give him a clue about the poison and curse. So far, he'd been in the man's closet, bathroom and spare room. He hadn't found anything. He hadn't thought he would find anything in the kitchen, so he skipped that room when he headed downstairs. He was going to search the man's living room when he noticed a door on the side of the staircase.

Opening it, he discovered it was a home office. He bit his lip as he walked over to the wood desk, plopping in the chair behind it, he opened the drawers on the side to poke around. Not finding anything, he checked the small drawer in the middle of the desk but nothing was in there except paperclips and pens, some stationary. A piece of stationary fluttered off the desk when he closed the drawer.

Bending down to pick it up, he had to slide off the chair to grab the stationary paper as it had fluttered further than his fingers could reach. He was on his knees, reaching for the paper. Grabbing it in his fingers, he raised his head, only to painfully bump it on the underside of the desk.

"Itai dammit!" Hisoka hissed as he crawled out from under the desk. Standing up, he rubbed his head, which was sore.

--

Tatsumi and Tsuzuki were just about to head upstairs when they heard a soft hiss coming from an open doorway by the staircase. The two men looked at each other and headed to the room where the sound had come from.

"There shouldn't be anyone here," Tatsumi whispered.

"I know," Tsuzuki whispered back.

"Should we become invisible again you think?" the secretary asked.

"I don't think so. That voice sounded familiar," Tsuzuki answered.

They entered the room and Tsuzuki froze, his amethyst eyes narrowing. Tatsumi raised an eyebrow as he watched Hisoka's emerald eyes widen in shock.

"Hisoka! What are you doing here?" Tsuzuki asked, walking over to his partner.

"Uh Tsu, don't be angry," Hisoka said.

"What are you doing here Kurosaki-kun?" Tatsumi asked.

"I thought you weren't feeling well," Tsuzuki said.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm just not as sick as I was," the boy answered, "I... wanted to try to find out what Muraki did to poison me. I thought m-maybe there would be something h-here that would let me know how cure this."

"Soka, I told you I didn't want you to come anywhere near Muraki," Tsuzuki told his lover, he was upset, but not yet angry. Mostly he was only upset because of the possible danger Hisoka had placed himself in.

"I'm sorry Tsu," Hisoka whispered, hanging his head.

"Tsuzuki, why don't you and Kurosaki-kun head home and I'll continue searching the house," Tatsumi suggested. His tone letting both shinigami know he wouldn't allow them to refuse.

Tsuzuki nodded as he grabbed Hisoka's arm, who was still hanging his head, staring at his feet, as the older man teleported the two of them home.

--

"What if Muraki had come home?" Tsuzuki asked when they appeared in their living room.

"I didn't think he would come home. He has to work today," Hisoka replied.

"That's not the point Soka and you know it!" Tsuzuki had to force himself not to raise his voice, he was pretty upset now thinking of what could have happened had the doctor come home.

"Tsu, I'm sorry," Hisoka told him, feeling all the anger and worry coming off his partner.

"What if he had forgotten something and come home early?" Tsuzuki wasn't about to let Hisoka off the hook so easily.

Hisoka bit his lip as tears started to fall from his eyes. He felt really bad for what he'd done. But he had only been trying to be strong and not rely on others to protect him.

"I only wanted to try to do this because I don't want to be weak anymore," Hisoka mumbled. Tsuzuki's anger dissipated when he heard the self-disgust in the boy's voice.

"You're not weak baby. I keep telling you this. When will you believe me?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Look at me! I'm short and thin and I can't stand up to Muraki. I couldn't at thirteen and I couldn't in a dream. I am worthless and you just don't see it!" Hisoka shouted.

"I hate myself! I'm dying all over again because I'm nothing! Because I am weak and you just don't want to believe it! You can fool yourself and me and tell me I'm strong, but I'm not dammit! I just wanted to try to do something myself for once without having to rely on you! To see if I was strong enough to do it and I got caught. By my lover of all people! I hate being weak in front of you!" Hisoka fell to the floor on his knees, his fists beating the hardwood floor underneath his hands.

"I hate this! I hate feeling this way! Being this way!" his voice fell to a whisper as the tears continued to fall from his eyes.

Tsuzuki sat down next to him. Reaching out to pull the boy into his lap, he wrapped his arms around him.

"Soka, I have never thought of you as weak. I have always looked at you as one of the strongest people I know. You have to start realizing everything you've accomplished since you died. How smart you are, how great you are at archery. You're an excellent swordsman. It doesn't make you weak because of what happened to you. You were only thirteen. He was stronger and bigger than you. You need to stop blaming yourself and seeing yourself as worthless because you couldn't fight him off," Tsuzuki said gently.

"I couldn't do anything. I froze you know. I couldn't do anything to stop him. And now, I can't fight him either. I am going to end up leaving you because I'm weak," Hisoka muttered as he buried his face in his partner's neck.

"No baby, you're not leaving me because you're weak. You're not leaving me at all. Please stop thinking that way. We will find a way to fix this. Hisoka, I see so many great things when I look at you or think about you. You need to start seeing what I see," Tsuzuki told him.

"I... don't know how," Hisoka whispered.

"Feel and see what I do when I think of you," Tsuzuki said softly, kissing his hair.

Warmth began to spread from the spot Tsuzuki had kissed down throughout the rest of Hisoka. He felt every emotion that his partner felt for him flooding through him. He saw himself through his partner's eyes. Nagasaki when they'd synchronized, Saagatanasu when he'd pretended to be Hijiri, when he'd comforted the older man in Kyoto outside the bar. He saw himself jumping into the flames of Touda ready to die with Tsuzuki.

"Th-this is how you see me?" Hisoka whispered, he was in awe at everything his partner showed him and allowed him to feel.

"Yes. This is how I have always looked at you," Tsuzuki told him.

Hisoka sniffled as he pressed himself closer to his partner. "Thank you Tsu, for always being here,for making me see that I'm not weak and thank you for loving me," Hisoka said softly, kissing his partner, who kissed him back.


	10. Moonlit Nightmare

Hisoka felt like he was burning. In his dreams he was in a field he had never seen before. The moon was a bright red. The wind blew lazily over the grass, making it rustle around his bare legs. He looked around to try to determine where he was, but nothing but the field stretched out all around him. The moon glowing brilliantly in the night sky, illuminating the stars, making them appear like tiny droplets of blood.

There was a hiss of breath behind him and he closed his eyes. He had known he wasn't alone. Had known, just by seeing the red moon, that _he_ would show up before the boy could wake himself up. Hisoka felt trapped in the sea of red highlighted grass and blood emblazoned sky.

"Hello my pretty doll," Muraki said sweetly behind Hisoka, before the man's arms encircled his waist.

"Don't touch me," Hisoka screamed, pulling out of the man's embrace and turning to face him.

Muraki chuckled and lifted a hand to stroke one of the boy's cheeks. Hisoka cringed.

_Tsu, please, wake me up, please, please I don't want to be here with him,_ Hisoka pleaded.

"He is asleep bouya, and he won't hear you anyway. I've blocked this dream off," Muraki told him.

"I don't know why you find it necessary to bother me, but one day, I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done to me," the boy snapped.

"If you live long enough, I'm sure you'll try bouya," the doctor replied back in that annoyingly calm voice Hisoka hated so much.

The teen glared at the man in front of him. He really hated this man. Everything this man had done to him, how he'd tried to ruin and break him. How he'd almost succeeded in making Hisoka think he was nothing more than a broken toy to be used and thrown away. It had taken Tsuzuki's love to show Hisoka that the doctor had been wrong in what he'd taught the boy.

"Go ahead, you can do whatever you want to me and I don't care. It's not going to break me," Hisoka sneered.

"What's this? You don't want to know about the poison? The new curse?" Muraki asked, clearly enjoying himself.

"Of course I want to know about it you bastard! But I know no matter what I say or do, you're not going to tell me. So why should I bother to ask about it?" Hisoka replied in a nasty tone.

"So, you're not curious about what's going to cause you to leave your precious Tsuzuki?" Muraki taunted, laughing when Hisoka narrowed his green eyes and lunged at him.

Pinning his arms in back of him, Muraki laid the boy down on the grass. His breath flowing over Hisoka's face. The teen struggled to get loose but he couldn't. Muraki had always been stronger and bigger and no matter what Hisoka did, he could never get away.

"Get off of me!" Hisoka yelled.

"Be careful bouya. I don't like your tone much and there's still a lot of things I could do to make your existence... less than pleasant," Muraki snickered, leaning close to Hisoka's face.

Hisoka felt like throwing up when Muraki kissed him. Licking his lips slowly then roughly pressing his tongue against the boy's mouth until he had shoved his tongue inside the moist cavern. Hisoka gagged, but Muraki didn't stop kissing him. Shivering, Hisoka whimpered, tears slipping from his eyes as Muraki brutally explored his mouth.

Arching up to try to get the doctor to move off of him, he was horrified to feel the man's erection pressing against him. He quickly stopped moving against the man, causing Muraki to pull away and lick his way to the boy's ear.

"I see you've learned some new moves from your partner. Should we try them out?" Muraki whispered, nipping his ear.

"No! Get off me! Don't you touch me!" Hisoka shouted.

"Pity. You're so beautiful screaming in pain. Though, there's nothing I really care to do to you right now. Not when you're already suffering from the new curse," Muraki said, pulling off of the boy and standing up.

"W-why? Why can't you just go away?" Hisoka cried. He didn't care anymore about looking pitiful in front of his tormentor. He just wanted the man to leave him alone, which wasn't going to happen.

"I already told you. You look beautiful screaming in pain," Muraki said seductively.

Hisoka buried his face in his hands, as tears burned hotly down his cheeks. He didn't care if he never woke up. He just couldn't take this anymore. There was no use fighting against this man. He was always going to be bigger and stronger. He would always win.

Feeling suffocated, Hisoka screamed into his hands, his fingernails biting into his flesh. Muraki disappeared suddenly and Hisoka jerked awake. Shaking and screaming as the curse flared to life on his skin. Red angrily burning against his pale skin in an intricate pattern.

--

Tsuzuki bolted up immediately after Hisoka's first scream. He turned around, grabbing hold of his partner, but Hisoka began to beat his fists against the man. Kicking his legs and bucking his hips up to get Tsuzuki off him when the man laid over him to try to stop his struggling.

"Hisoka, it's me. Shush, calm down baby," Tsuzuki said. But Hisoka wouldn't stop fighting. He was now gasping for breath and Tsuzuki was frantically trying to calm the boy down.

Blood was beginning to seep from the marks on the boy, staining his nightshirt a crimson color. Soaking into the fabric. Choking, Hisoka's tears kept falling and the boy was panicking now that he couldn't calm down.

Tsuzuki raised his hand and brought it down against Hisoka's cheek. Slapping the boy horrified the man, but there wasn't anything else he could think to do to calm his lover down. Hisoka stopped immediately. Panting and gasping for breath. The blood had soaked his shirt so much that it was now sopping wet. Staining the sheet against the boy's body.

"T-Tsu-zuki! Help m-me!" Hisoka whispered as he suddenly threw up on himself.

Tsuzuki picked Hisoka up and brought him into the bathroom, sitting him down on the side of the bathtub as he turned on the faucets to fill it up. Carefully stripping the boy, Tsuzuki was shocked at the heat coming off the boy's body. Hisoka was also smeared with blood from the marks and his honey colored hair was plastered to his forehead and neck. His green eyes were glazed over.

When the tub was full with enough water, Tsuzuki lifted Hisoka up and gently placed him in the tub. Grabbing a washcloth, he added soap and gently washed the boy. Hisoka kept trying to push his hand away as he washed him but Tsuzuki kept whispering soothing words to try to calm the boy.

"Soka, I have to wash you, please relax," Tsuzuki said.

"Nnn, go away! I don't want you to see this anymore!" Hisoka shouted.

"I'm not going away baby. I love you. I am going to take care of you," the older shinigami told him gently.

"No dammit! I don't want you here anymore! Just leave me alone!" the boy yelled, smacking Tsuzuki's hand away, sending water over the edge of the tub.

"Hisoka, please stop. I'm not leaving you. You can scream and yell at me. I don't care. You can hit me and scratch me, but I am staying with you," Tsuzuki replied, throwing a towel on the floor to soak up the water.

He was surprised when Hisoka started crying. His small shoulders shaking.

"Please Tsu, please leave me. You can't like this. Being with me with what he's done. With what's happening. How can you stay here?" Hisoka whispered through sobs.

"I love you. What he's done doesn't change how I feel about you. I'm never leaving you," Tsuzuki told him, tears falling from his own amethyst eyes.

"But I'm leaving you," Hisoka whispered.

Tsuzuki shook his head about to say something when Hisoka suddenly threw his arms around Tsuzuki's neck, dragging the man halfway into the tub with him.

"I love you! Please keep me with you," Hisoka sobbed.

Tsuzuki nodded. He couldn't reply. His throat was filled with a lump of emotion that he couldn't get past to answer. He held onto Hisoka while the boy cried. Then, when he'd calmed down enough, Tsuzuki smiled gently when the boy let him wash him.

Afterwards, he cleaned up the bed and changed the sheets. Laying Hisoka down on the bed covered in a thick towel, he cradled him in his arms as the boy eventually fell asleep, exhausted from the pain and tears.


	11. Catalyst

**A/N**: I'm warning you all now, this chapter gets really angsty as well as a squicky part.

--

Hisoka slept the entire night and until a bit after breakfast time the next day. Tsuzuki called in sick for the two of them. Which earned him a request to see Tatsumi in his office as soon as he had the chance. Tsuzuki agreed, hung up the phone and groaned.

During the day, Tsuzuki couldn't take his eyes off his sleeping partner. Or from the blood that was still slowly seeping from the marks that wouldn't fade. He had wanted to take Hisoka in to see Watari but he didn't want the boy to wake up in the infirmary.

When it was almost eleven thirty, Hisoka sleepily opened his eyes, making Tsuzuki smile in relief that his partner was at least finally awake. Though, the man was still quite worried and still wanted to take the boy to the infirmary, he nevertheless happy to see the boy awake.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Tsuzuki asked softly, gently wiping the boy's forehead with a cool cloth.

"Sleepy. I'm still bleeding," Hisoka mumbled, looking down at his bare chest.

The marks weren't as bright as they had been the night before but they were still glowing. Blood still seeped slowly from the pale marks and Hisoka felt like crying when he looked at himself. He quickly turned his gaze away. Anguish written all over his beautiful features.

"It's alright you know. I'm not disgusted by them or you. I still love you," Tsuzuki told him.

"Why? How can you? Look at me," Hisoka said miserably, a sob escaping his lips.

"Because, even with these marks, I still think you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen Soka. And they don't change who you are. Not to me," Tsuzuki whispered gently, leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips.

Hisoka burst into tears at the tender voice and the emotions he felt from Tsuzuki. He threw his arms around his partner's neck, kissing him back. His tears streaming down his face as they kissed and held onto one another. Tsuzuki didn't seem to mind that his chest was now smeared with blood when they pulled apart.

"I'm sorry, I got blood on you," Hisoka muttered.

"Don't worry about it baby. I wonder why..." Tsuzuki broke off suddenly, his eyes widening.

"What?" Hisoka asked.

"Why is it so thick?" Tsuzuki asked. Hisoka shrugged.

"I think it's congealing, so it's thick," Hisoka replied.

"No, if it were congealing, it wouldn't still be streaming. Slow, but still streaming," Tsuzuki said.

Hisoka looked confused.

"I'm taking you to the infirmary to have Watari check this out. No argument alright?" Tsuzuki told him.

Hisoka nodded and stood up wobbling a bit as he did so. Tsuzuki helped him put on a pair of sweatpants but no shirt. Hisoka didn't want to ruin any more of his clothes so he just wrapped a sheet around his shoulders and let Tsuzuki lift him up to teleport them to the infirmary.

--

"You say he's been bleeding this way since last night?" Watari asked, examing the marks and blood.

"Yeah. It wasn't this thick last night though," Tsuzuki replied. He was sitting on the bed with Hisoka in between his legs.

Watari kept taking samples of Hisoka's blood. From his arm and the marks. Carefully labeling the vials and swabs.

"Let me go run some tests on these and I'll be back in a bit," Watari told them, gathering up all his stuff and walking out of the room.

--

"Tsu?" Hisoka said a bit after Watari left the room.

"Yes baby?" Tsuzuki answered.

"I'm sorry I asked you to leave me," Hisoka replied. Tsuzuki's arms tightened around him and he leaned his head down to rest his chin on the boy's shoulder.

"I know you didn't mean it Soka. You were in a lot of pain and not feeling well. It's ok," Tsuzuki told him.

"Yeah, well, I didn't mean it and thank you for not taking me seriously. I don't know what I would do if you weren't with me," Hisoka whispered, tears threatening to fall again.

"Hisoka, you don't need to thank me. I love you, nothing is going to change that. I've told you this. Please believe me," Tsuzuki said gently.

Hisoka turned his head around to look Tsuzuki in the eyes. He smiled at his lover and raised his chin to kiss the man on the lips. Feeling better when Tsuzuki pulled him around to straddle his legs and deepened the kiss.

The sound of a throat clearing made them pull apart. Looking up, they noticed Tatsumi standing by the end of the bed.

"Watari found another substance in Kurosaki-kun's blood. And he knows why the blood is so thick," Tatsumi told them, "He'll be here in a few minutes to explain."

Hisoka looked at Tsuzuki, his eyes wide.

--

"What?!" Hisoka nearly screamed.

"That's just really sick Watari. Are you sure?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yes I'm sure. I ran the test four times already. I am positive that the reason the blood isn't slowing down and is so thick is because of the other substance in it," Watari said.

"But are you sure that's what it is?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Tsuzuki, I am positive. The test results are conclusive. Muraki used his semen to bond his and bon's blood together to put the curse on him," the blonde said. He didn't like the results either, but he'd run the test several times and each time, the results were the same.

"It sounds like something Muraki would do," Tatsumi interjected.

Hisoka felt sick. All these years he'd had that man's blood and seed inside him. Burning against his skin whenever the curse acted up. Not being able to control himself, he hung his head over the side of the bed and threw up. Since Hisoka hadn't eaten since early the day before, his body shook from the effort to throw up something that wasn't there.

"Soka are you alright?" Tsuzuki asked, patting his partner on the back. The boy was shaking.

"Tsu, take me home. Please," Hisoka whispered.

Tsuzuki looked up at Tatsumi and Watari, silently asking if it was alright. Watari nodded his head and Tatsumi said nothing.

After Tsuzuki had teleported the two home, Tatsumi looked at Watari.

"I'm going to have another chat with the doctor," the secretary told him.

"I'm coming with you this time," the blonde replied.

"Alright, I'm leaving in thirty minutes," Tatsumi said walking out of the infirmary. Watari nodded.

--

When the appeared in their apartment, Hisoka pulled away from Tsuzuki and ran to the bathroom. Slamming the door shut, he locked himself in. Tsuzuki ran after him, but didn't make it before he heard the click of the lock.

"Soka, please let me in," Tsuzuki said. He heard the water running from the sink.

"No! Go away!" Hisoka cried.

"Please, I'm worried about you. I want to..." Tsuzuki said.

"Dammit! How can you want to be with me? When you just found out what I have inside me!" Hisoka yelled through the door.

"Hisoka, open the door or I'm teleporting in," Tsuzuki warned.

The lock clicked and the door opened revealing Hisoka. He had stripped out of his sweatpants and he had a washcloth in his hands. There was bloody water in the sink. And Hisoka's skin was red.

"What are you doing?" Tsuzuki asked, taking the cloth from the boy's fingers and dropping it into the sink.

"Washing myself. I feel so dirty," Hisoka whispered. He was shaking. Tsuzuki went to pull him into his arms but Hisoka backed away.

"How can you want to even touch me when I'm... tainted. Oh kami, I just want to die," Hisoka screamed, his back hitting the wall behind him.

"Not this again. Soka, I thought you understood," Tsuzuki said.

"That was before! That was before we knew what he did. Before we knew what he put inside me!" Hisoka shouted.

"I don't care dammit! I don't care what the hell he put inside you! I love you! Are you going to stand here and pity yourself because of some psychotic madman or are you going to do something about it?" Tsuzuki yelled back.

Hisoka blinked. Tsuzuki had never yelled at him before. He stared at his lover, his green eyes wide.

"Do what? What can I do?" Hisoka asked.

"Not you, _we_. Hisoka, what can _we _do. We're in this together baby," Tsuzuki told him, stepping forward and pulling the boy into his arms.

He heard a sob as Hisoka let his tears fall. "Please Tsu, help me find a way to stop this," Hisoka sobbed.

Hisoka had never asked for help and it broke Tsuzuki's heart to see and hear the boy pleading for his help.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way. I promise you, we will," Tsuzuki whispered. Hisoka wrapped his arms around his partner's waist, crying as they stood there in the bathroom.

_We will fix this, I promise,_ Tsuzuki said to himself.


	12. In the Shadows

Watari shivered as he stood behind Tatsumi as the secretary knocked on Muraki's front door. 003 hooted uncomfortably from her perch on the scientist's shoulder, nesting deeper into his blonde hair. Tatsumi knocked a second time, tilting his head when Muraki finally answered the door.

"Mr. Tatsumi I was wondering when I'd have the pleasure of seeing you again. Please come in," Muraki greeted politely.

Tatsumi walked into the house with Watari following behind. Muraki noticed the scientist and asked him who he was.

"I'm Watari," the scientist replied.

Muraki held out his hand to the blonde, giving Watari no choice but to accept it and shake it politely.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Watari. Now, gentlemen, what can I do for you?" the doctor asked.

"You know why we're here Muraki. We know what you did to put the curse on Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi replied.

Muraki's pale lips drew into an amused smirk. Watari had the urge to punch the doctor in the face. It was when he saw the shadows in the room becoming shorter and darker that he held himself back. Tatsumi was standing next to him calm as always. Only the slight darkening of his sapphire blue eyes gave any inclination that the secretary of Ju-Oh-Cho was angry.

"While I was quite certain you would figure it out, I didn't count on you figuring it out so soon. At least, not until the bouya was gone for good," Muraki told them.

"You son of a bitch. Why can't you just leave him alone? Do you get off on hurting him? Haven't you done enough!" Watari sneered, he would have went on, but Tatsumi held up a hand.

"Watari, enough," Tatsumi told him. Watari reluctantly shut his mouth.

Muraki chuckled, running a hand through his platinum hair, he froze when he was suddenly engulfed in shadows. Encircling around his limbs, his only visible eye widening as one shadow came up to grasp him by the neck, squeezing gently but firmly.

"Is this really necessary gentlemen? You already know what the bouya is suffering from," Muraki rasped out.

"But what we don't know is how to cure it. And that is what you're going to kindly enlighten us about," Tatsumi intoned.

Muraki looked as though he was about to refuse, but the shadows wrapped around him tightened a bit and the doctor raised a brow. Shrugging, the doctor decided it would be beneficial to concede this time and let the shinigami have what they wanted.

--

"Soka, are you feeling a little better?" Tsuzuki whispered.

They were laying in bed, Hisoka still hadn't bothered to put anything on. And he was refusing to let Tsuzuki touch him, despite having allowed the man to hold him in the bathroom earlier. He felt dirty, ruined and stained. And he didn't want anything as good as Tsuzuki to touch him and become the same way.

Despite Tsuzuki's continous words of love and assurance that he still loved the boy, Hisoka couldn't get past the knowledge of what Watari had told him was inside him. He couldn't think about anything but wanting to throw up and just hide himself away. Especially from his partner. But Tsuzuki wouldn't let him get out of bed.

Everytime he'd tried, the man had gently pulled him back. Then sighed when Hisoka had shrugged off his hand. Shying away from any intimate contact, he was aware of how this was hurting his lover but he couldn't make himself feel anything but disgust from being touched so lovingly.

Tsuzuki leaned over him to look him in the eyes. Tears slipped out of the green depths and Hisoka bit his trembling lip.

"Soka, please, talk to me," Tsuzuki pleaded.

"What do you want me to say to you?" Hisoka asked bitterly. He sniffled as he silently cried.

"Tell me what you're thinking. Scream, yell, hit me, beat on the walls, throw something! Anything, but just don't hold it all inside," Tsuzuki begged him, tears glistening in his own purple eyes.

"I hate this you know? I thought, I was alright. I'd finally come to terms that I'd been raped. And even that I'd been cursed. Well for the first curse. I couldn't make myself accept the second one, but I would have gotten there, but now," Hisoka stopped, wiping at his eyes with his hands.

"But now what?" Tsuzuki prodded.

"But now, I feel so... used and disgusting. I hate myself. I hate knowing that nothing I do, will allow me to escape my own body," the teen whispered, the tears slipping from his eyes again.

"You're not disgusting though you know? You're still so beautiful," Tsuzuki whispered.

"Please stop saying that. I'm not you know. I am just something that holds the most vile thing inside himself," Hisoka mumbled.

"Baby, please," Tsuzuki pleaded, leaning down to kiss the tears slipping from the dark lashes.

"Don't. Please. How can you touch me?" Hisoka sobbed.

"Because. I don't find anything wrong with you. I think you're wonderful. Sexy and beautiful and you have the most amazing heart. Nothing can ruin you Hisoka. Nothing," Tsuzuki whispered gently, his hands gliding over the smooth skin, gleaming white against the dark sheets.

Hisoka cried as those soft hands, with their long slender fingers caressed his body. Touching every part of him. His partner's lips taking possession of his own as Tsuzuki pressed his tongue against the boy's lips asking for entrance. Hisoka opened his mouth to choke on a sob, and Tsuzuki took that as a reluctant invitation. Pulling away, Tsuzuki sucked gently on the boy's neck.

"I love your lips, your hair, your eyes," Tsuzuki told him, touching each part as he named them off.

Running his hands down along the boy's sides, he kept whispering everything about Hisoka that he loved. Which in the end, was the entire person who was crying next to him.

"Please," Hisoka whispered.

"I love everything about you. Just because you're you Soka. You're everything I could ever want and more. If you need to escape your own body, escape through me," Tsuzuki said, rolling over him to press him into the mattress.

Hisoka closed his eyes as Tsuzuki's hands massaged over his body, running down his sides to slip underneath him. Lifting him by the hips, he slid into the boy's trembling body as his lips claimed Hisoka's once again.

Hisoka cried the entire time they made love. Finally giving into the love he was receiving. As he poured everything that he hated about the situation he was in into the gentle love his partner gave him. Had always given him without ever asking for anything in return. Moaning, he finally shuddered as he inhaled deeply, his tears halting as he moaned Tsuzuki's name.

"I love you too Tsu," Hisoka whispered as he came down from his climax, finally believing everything Tsuzuki told him to be the truth. He wasn't disgusted by Hisoka. He still loved him and Hisoka would stop feeling sorry for himself and hold onto Tsuzuki and the love they shared.


	13. An Even Worse Cure

Tsuzuki collapsed on top of the smaller form of his trembling partner. Who had finally begun to stop crying. The only thing and the last idea Tsuzuki had thought of to show Hisoka he wasn't disgusted by him since nothing he had said to him had worked. He had thought making love to him would show the teen that he could escape with him. Through him. Showing him by making love to him that he loved him, no matter what.

"Tsuzuki, when we fix this, can we go somewhere? Just the two of us?" Hisoka asked.

"Yes. Where would you like to go?" Tsuzuki answered.

"Anywhere with you. Just to get away for awhile," the boy said.

Tsuzuki smiled. "I'll go anywhere with you baby," the older man replied, kissing the boy gently on the lips then moving to nuzzle his neck.

Hisoka's arms came around his partner and lover to cling to him and hold him tightly.

--

"So Muraki you were about to tell us how to cure Kurosaki-kun's curse," Tatsumi prompted.

The shadows loosened their grip around the doctor to allow him to talk without a struggle. Watari was listening intently so he wouldn't miss anything.

"Retrace the curse the way I put it on to take it off," Muraki told them.

"You need to do this or someone else has to?" Watari asked.

"Someone else has to. I put it on with the intent to kill him. Only someone with the intent to save him can remove it," the doctor said.

"Someone who loves bon then. Would that work?" the blonde asked. Muraki nodded.

"In other words, you can't take it off because you hate Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi said thoughtfully.

"Correct. Although, I don't actually hate the bouya per se. I just find him a nuisance and in the way of what I want," Muraki said.

"Let's get this straight. You raped bon, then mixed your blood with his and added your semen to the blood mixture to bond it to him," Watari reiterated. Muraki nodded.

"Then, the person to take it off has to mix their blood with his and their semen as well to bond the blood mixture to the curse. Right?" Watari asked.

"Yes. The person who cares about him or loves him has to retrace the curse with the mixture as I did to take the curse off," Muraki told him.

"Does the entire curse need to be retraced?" the scientist asked, adding with a disgusted look on his face, "Does the person removing the curse have to rape bon?"

Muraki shook his head, "No, only a part of it. Like on his chest or his back. And no, he doesn't have to be raped again. He didn't need to be in the first place. He just appealed to me." Watari felt sick so he closed his eyes to clear his anger then reopened them.

"They're not going to like this," Watari said to Tatsumi, who nodded. Tatsumi had to keep a tight reign on his shadows. He was so angry he wanted nothing more than to have the shadows crush Muraki's neck.

"Since we have found out what we came here for, we'll take our leave," Watari murmured, thinking about how to tell Tsuzuki and Hisoka this information.

"Well Muraki, I'm going to tell you this. Stay away from my friends. Once this is over, if you ever come near them again, you will wish you weren't born," Tatsumi warned.

Muraki had had run ins with the secretary in the past enough to know he wasn't making false threats. So, nodding, he asked calmly, "If that is all gentlemen, I have an early day tomorrow and would very much appreciate it if I could retire to bed."

Watari looked at Tatsumi, who nodded. Before leaving, the shadows wrapped around Muraki tightened and slammed the doctor backwards into a wall. There was the snapping of bone as the doctor's body hit a display table and knocked a picture from the wall, sending vases and knick knacks on the table crashing to the floor.

"Remember what I said doctor," Tatsumi reminded.

Muraki groaned as Tatsumi and Watari teleported to Meifu.

--

Hisoka and Tsuzuki were still laying in bed with Hisoka cradled in his partner's arms when the phone rang. Tsuzuki groaned and Hisoka reached out to snatch it up.

"Hello?" Hisoka asked into the receiver.

"Kurosaki-kun, we need you and Tsuzuki to come to the lab. We found out how to cure the curse and poison," Tatsumi told him on the other end.

"Really? How?" Hisoka asked.

"Just come to the Ministry please," the secretary said.

Hisoka told him they would be there in five minutes then hung up. He jumped out of bed hurriedly throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He didn't care if he got blood on it. He was excited about what Tatsumi had found out.

"What's up Soka?" Tsuzuki asked, sitting up in bed.

"Hurry and get dressed Tsu. That was Tatsumi. He and Watari found out how to cure this. They want us to come to the infirmary now," Hisoka told his partner, tossing him some clothes.

Tsuzuki jumped out of bed and shrugged into his clothing. Pulling Hisoka into his arms, he kissed the boy on the mouth then teleported them to the lab.

--

"How do we cure Hisoka?" Tsuzuki asked as soon as they appeared in the lab.

"One second and we'll explain it all to you. But be prepared not to like how it needs to be done," Tatsumi told him.

Tsuzuki took a seat on a stool, pulling Hisoka into his lap. Hisoka wrapped his arms around his partner and snuggled closer. He didn't care if he looked like a baby in front of anyone. He just needed to be as close to the man as possible.

"Alright, Muraki told us that he put the curse on bon with an intent to end bon's life. Meaning, someone with that loves him enough to want to save him and keep him alive has the ability to remove it," Watari explained.

"And that means what exactly?" Tsuzuki asked, looking down at Hisoka as the boy snuggled closer.

Hisoka's eyes were closed as though he didn't really feel like staying awake. Trusting that Tsuzuki would find out how to fix everything. It wasn't that Hisoka wasn't interested. He was just so exhausted and didn't really want to get his hopes up in case they were in vain.

"That you would be able to remove bon's curse. Though, there is a catch," Tatsumi interjected.

"Catch, what catch?" Tsuzuki asked. Muraki never made anything easy and the man feared what the "catch" would be this time.

"You have to retrace the curse the exact same way it was put on," Tatsumi replied.

"Meaning I have to rape him?" Tsuzuki said with fury in his voice.

"No, you don't have to rape him. You just need to mix your blood and semen with his blood and retrace the curse," Watari replied.

"Then I have to cut him up don't I? Exactly as Muraki did? That bastard made it so no matter what, Hisoka has to keep being hurt!" Tsuzuki was pissed.

"Tsuzuki, you don't even need to retrace the entire curse marks. Just a little portion. Muraki said bon's chest or his back would be fine. And the mixture would seep along the lines of the curse and merge together with it," Watari explained, watching the anger darken Tsuzuki's face.

Tsuzuki looked down at his partner. Hisoka had looked up, slightly whimpering as he felt the rage and disgust slam into Tsuzuki.

"I want to go home Tsu. I'm so tired of this. I just want to go home. I don't care anymore," Hisoka began crying.

He didn't want to beg his partner and lover to cut him up as Muraki did. It was something he didn't know if he could handle. Having to lay there as the man he loved sliced into him just to help keep him alive.

"Hisoka, we need to..." Tsuzuki began.

Hisoka jumped off Tsuzuki's lap. He clutched his fists at his sides. His fingernails digging into the palm of his flesh as blood dripped over his knuckles. His once clean t-shirt was stained with blood and and Hisoka was shaking.

"I can't take it anymore! Just let me go! You're going to have to cut me up like I'm some... some piece of meat! Like he did!" Hisoka screamed.

Tatsumi and Watari said nothing. But Watari felt tears pricking at the corners of his amber eyes and Tatsumi had to look away from the young boy he had come to care about so much more than he thought he ever would.

"Soka, please..." Tsuzuki tried to grab Hisoka in his arms, but the boy screamed and then teleported out of the lab, leaving a stunned Tsuzuki standing with his arms held out in front of him.


	14. The Weight of Being

Hisoka teleported down to Chijou. To a park he had always liked. He ran to the tree he would sometimes sit under and collapsed next to it. Crying. He couldn't deal with this all anymore. He had though, it wouldn't be so hard to endure.

After hearing that his own lover would have to cut into him, Hisoka felt the world cave in around him. There was no end to Muraki's evilness it seemed and Hisoka was shaking with fury and despair while shivering in the cold of the night against the tree's thick trunk.

He curled his legs up close to his chest and rested his hands on his knees as he sat under the tree. It started to rain but he didn't care. He had to think about some things. If he wanted to live enough to have his partner cut into him or if he just wanted it all to end.

The thought of leaving Tsuzuki hurt worse than any cut could or would. Hisoka wanted to stay with his partner and lover. He wanted everything he couldn't have when he was alive in his death. He knew, he could be happy now. He'd been shown that he could since the day he met Tsuzuki and especially in the last few weeks.

"I won't leave you. I won't let Muraki win," Hisoka whispered, standing up. The rain cascaded over him as he clenched his fists and teleported home.

--

"Hisoka! You're soaking wet. Where were you?" Tsuzuki demanded when Hisoka appeared in their living room.

Tsuzuki went to get towels and run a bath for Hisoka to warm him up. The boy followed his partner into the bathroom as Tsuzuki ran the water.

"Tsu, we need to talk about what we're going to do," Hisoka said quietly.

"What do you mean? I'm not going to cut you up Soka," Tsuzuki told him, not looking at him.

"But it's the only way," the teen replied.

"You actually want me to do this? To lay you down and cut into you?" the older shinigami asked disbelievingly.

"What choice do I have here? Give me another option and I'll take it! But this is the only way to cure me," Hisoka felt his temper rising.

"Hisoka, I can't do it. I can't hurt you like that," Tsuzuki whispered.

Hisoka was angry. His partner was so stubborn when it came to him being hurt. He tried so hard to make up for the boy's past that he wasn't thinking about his future. That hurt Hisoka at the same time that it made him mad.

"Fine, we won't discuss this anymore. I'm going to bed," Hisoka said, walking out of the bathroom.

"What about your bath? If you don't take one you'll get sick," Tsuzuki said.

"Not like it'll make much difference ne? What's a cold compared to a curse," Hisoka mumbled and changed into his pajamas, tossing his wet clothing in a corner.

Climbing in bed, he pulled the covers up over him then rolled over to get comfortable. He was still chilled from the cold rain but he didn't care. He was tired, angry and hurt, even though he understand Tsuzuki's reason for not wanting to do it.

Hisoka felt Tsuzuki slide into the bed next to him. He didn't protest when he felt the man's arms wrap around him and roll him over to face him. He didn't say anything, just stared into his lover's amethyst eyes.

--

"I'm sorry Soka," Tsuzuki whispered a little while later.

"It's alright Tsu. I understand," he whispered back.

Hisoka kissed Tsuzuki softly. Feeling guilt and shame flood into him from the older man. He hated when his lover felt this way and he was the cause of it, so now he felt worse. This was much harder on Tsuzuki, as he would be the one to have to do the cutting. Hisoka hated that his partner was faced with a decision such as this. Wanting to be closer to his lover and comfort him, Hisoka rolled on top of Tsuzuki, pressing his hips against him.

"I love you. I know you can't hurt me deliberately," Hisoka whispered, kissing the man's neck.

"Soka... please," Tsuzuki moaned.

"We will find another way," Hisoka said, pushing Tsuzuki's boxers down. He shifted, removing his own. Tossing them to the floor, he ground his hips against the other once again. Tsuzuki moaned and tossed his head. His hands coming up to stroke the sides of Hisoka's body.

"Please don't hate me," Tsuzuki whimpered.

"I don't hate you," Hisoka said, lifting himself up to slide over Tsuzuki's arousal, "I never could."

"Ahh, nnn. Baby," Tsuzuki whined, arching up to meet Hisoka's movements as the boy bounced on top of him.

Hisoka leaned over and kissed the tears that were slipping from Tsuzuki's eyes. He kept rolling his hips and was glad that Tsuzuki responded to him. He kept whispering for Hisoka not to hate him.

"I don't hate you, I promise. Please don't be sad anymore," he whispered.

"Soka, if... ah! Kami!" Tsuzuki shouted as Hisoka pulled up, leaving only the tip of Tsuzuki inside him, then slammed down, taking his member back inside deeply. Hisoka murmered his lover's name as he climaxed after Tsuzuki.

Still inside his partner, Tsuzuki rolled them over onto their sides, holding Hisoka close to him. Pulling out gently, he kissed the boy.

"If, if I do it, Hisoka, you won't be angry right? You won't leave me will you?" Tsuzuki whispered miserably.

"Tsu, whenever I was feeling down on myself, you have always been there to make me feel better. Listen to me now. Nothing will make me leave. Nothing. It's your decision to do this. I won't force you," Hisoka told him.

"I just can't bear to hurt you. But I will do it," Tsuzuki replied, tears filling his amethyst eyes once again.

"Please don't cry Tsu. I love you. It'll be alright, I promise," Hisoka whispered, gently wiping the tears away and kissing his lover.

Hisoka yawned sleepily, pressing his face into Tsuzuki's neck as he closed his eyes. The last thing he heard before falling asleep was Tsuzuki's voice whispering "Tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow." Hisoka managed to nod his head, then sleep took him.


	15. Break Down

Shortly before dawn, Hisoka woke up panting, sweaty and wet for some reason. Struggling, he rolled over, he felt something thick coating his body and he didn't like the weak feeling he had. He could barely move.

Coughing, he tried to sit up, but he felt heavy. His body hurt and he felt like he was being squeezed to death. He tried to talk but his voice came out in a whisper that even he could barely hear. Why was he so weak? What was this wet feeling?

"Tsu-zu-ki," Hisoka forced himself to talk, his voice coming out in a tiny squeak.

His partner didn't move. So Hisoka tried again, forcing himself to be louder. Tsuzuki grumbled about wanting more sleep, but when he went to take Hisoka in his arms, he looked up when his hand came in contact with the thick, wet coating over Hisoka's body. Reaching out, he turned on the bedside lamp.

"Hisoka!" Tsuzuki exclaimed.

Hisoka's body was blazing with the curse marks. The thick coating over his body was his own blood. It had drenched the sheets and had left trails that had slipped down the sides of him to pool around him on the bed.

"Tsu, hur-ts," Hisoka whispered.

He was in so much pain. He began to cry and even that hurt. Tsuzuki covered him with a sheet as he dialed Watari's number. After asking the man to meet them in the infirmary, Tsuzuki picked Hisoka up, causing the boy to whimper in pain, and teleported them to the infirmary.

--

An hour later Watari came back with the test results he had from the samples of the blood he'd taken from Hisoka. The look on the scientist's face made Tsuzuki feel as though he'd been kicked in the stomach. Hisoka was cradled in Tsuzuki's arms on one of the beds, breathing heavily.

"What's the news Watari?" Tsuzuki asked.

"His immune system is failing. So are his kidneys," Watari told him.

"He hasn't got much time left does he? We were going to do the ritual today," Tsuzuki said, looking down at Hisoka, who was staring up at him. Hisoka felt the guilt and sadness coming off of his lover.

"Tsu, it's alright you know? It's not your fault," Hisoka whispered, his voice raspy.

"Watari, will he make it through the cure?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I am not sure Tsuzuki. He can't heal and his blood won't clot. Cutting into him without his ability to heal will make it difficult for him to survive long enough for the mixture to take effect," Watari said honestly.

"Tsu, I'm r-really tired. C-could I sleep a bit?" Hisoka asked.

Tsuzuki looked at Watari, who nodded his head. The blonde told them he was going to call Tatsumi and let him know what was happening, then left them alone. Tsuzuki shifted so he was on his side, cradling Hisoka in his arms. The boy was beginning to fall asleep.

It was incredible Tsuzuki thought, that he managed not to cry the entire time Watari was examining and taking blood samples from Hisoka. Nor did he cry when they'd been told that Hisoka's body was failing. But now, that the boy had fallen asleep, Tsuzuki couldn't hold back his tears.

_Damn you Muraki! I will make you pay for this,_ Tsuzuki thought with fury.

Hisoka whimpered in his sleep and Tsuzuki fought down his anger. Tightening his hold on his lover.

"Hisoka, baby, wake up please," Tsuzuki whispered, gently shaking his partner.

"Tsu," Hisoka whispered, opening his green eyes.

"I want to do the cure ritual now," the older shinigami told him.

"Now? Watari said I can't heal," the teen said, coughing. Tsuzuki gently patted him on the back. Hisoka squeezed himself closer to his partner. He needed to be as close as he could get in case he couldn't hold on.

"I would rather take the chance of it not working then sit here and watch you die, and not do anything to try to stop it from happening," Tsuzuki explained.

"Alright Tsu. Let's do it. But you need to tell Watari first so he doesn't walk in," Hisoka replied.

"Okay baby, I'll be right back," Tsuzuki said, getting off the bed and leaving the room.

He was so sleepy. He had no energy to do anything. It even took a tremendous amount of effort to talk. He was happy Tsuzuki wanted to try to cure him, but all he really wanted to do was sleep. He was in too much pain to stay awake.

Closing his eyes, Hisoka let sleep overtake him, as his body heated up and his system began to slowly shut itself down.

--

Tsuzuki found Watari in his lab talking to Tatsumi. The secretary didn't too happy about the situation. Watari looked as though he were about to cry. 003 was oddly quiet on his shoulder. Tatsumi's eyes widened at the state of Tsuzuki. The man was covered in Hisoka's blood and he looked lost and broken.

"Hey Watari, Tatsumi. I am going to do the ritual to Hisoka in a bit alright?" Tsuzuki told them.

"Are you sure that's wise Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi asked.

"I can't just watch him die and not try to save him," Tsuzuki ground out. His eyes were filling with tears again.

"Tsuzuki, he could die before you're finished. His whole body is..." Watari stopped when Tsuzuki slammed his fist in the wall.

"Don't you think I know how dangerous this is? Do you think I can stand here and watch him die when I know how to save him? I have to try dammit! I can't lose him," Tsuzuki yelled.

"Tsuzuki, have you told Hisoka that you want to try this anyway?" Watari asked.

"Yes, he said alright. He's trying to do this for me. I know he is. He is so tired and in so much pain, but he doesn't want to leave me. So, he's going to let me try, and I'm asking you Watari, please," Tsuzuki pleaded, his face streaked with tears.

Watari looked at Tatsumi, who nodded his head. Reluctantly, the scientist also nodded.

"Then come with me, there are a few things you'll need to do this. And some others just in case of an emergency," Watari told him.

Tsuzuki followed the blonde out of the lab. He had to do this soon, he didn't know how much longer Hisoka could hold on.


	16. Justifiable Pain

Tatsumi retrieved a dagger from the summon's department artifacts storage room for Tsuzuki to use. Watari gave Tsuzuki all kinds of gauze, antiseptic and bandages. Hisoka would need to probably be bandaged as he was cut into since he couldn't clot his blood. The gauze was to soak up as much blood as possible.

Tsuzuki was scared about this. He didn't want to hurt Hisoka, but his desire not to lose his partner, best friend and lover overrode his fear. Anything to keep him, Tsuzuki would do. He knew it would hurt Hisoka, and it would tear Tsuzuki apart to do it, but it was their only option. If it didn't work, or he didn't do it quickly enough, Hisoka would die.

_And what will you do if he dies?_ Tsuzuki asked himself, _I will follow him. Anywhere. I won't lose him._

Armed with all the supplies Watari and Tatsumi felt he would need, Tsuzuki left them in the break room and headed back to the infirmary to try to cure his partner.

_--_

Hisoka mumbled when Tsuzuki shook him gently. Having laid everything out on the movable tray table by the bed, Tsuzuki felt he was prepared. He kissed Hisoka gently on the lips, undressing him down to the waist.

"Tsu, all...of...it, t-take it...all off," Hisoka was losing the ability to talk above a whisper and he could barely keep his eyes open.

"We only need your chest exposed," Tsuzuki said.

"No, I want you to be near me, in me... when you need to..." Hisoka coughed.

"Hisoka, no. You're too weak for that, I'll just do it myself," Tsuzuki told him.

"No! I want you inside me. In case it's..." the teen's shaky voice rose a notch.

In case it's the last time we can make love Hisoka wanted to say but couldn't bring himself to admit this might be their last time. He gave a slight smile as he watched Tsuzuki nod and strip out of his clothing. He wanted Hisoka to feel comfortable. And if this is how he wanted it done, then Tsuzuki would give it to him.

Tsuzuki pulled the tray table close to the bed so it was within arms reach. Then he laid down on the bed beside his partner. Hisoka wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki and kissed him. It was a brief kiss as Hisoka was having trouble breathing. When they pulled apart, Tsuzuki shifted onto his back, pulling the teen on top of gently. Hisoka leaned down to kiss Tsuzuki again as he slipped a hand between them to help his lover stroke him.

Tsuzuki stared at Hisoka as the boy struggled to arouse him in his weakened state. The boy's hand was gripped so lightly that Tsuzuki reached down to try to help, only to have Hisoka push his hand away. The older male was dying inside as he watched how weak his partner had become. Tsuzuki focused on the teen and how much he loved him as Hisoka worked his hand in a steady rhythm. When Tsuzuki was hard enough, he held Hisoka by the hips and guided him up and then slid himself into him. He felt Hisoka shudder around him as the boy gasped at the intrusion that shouldn't have hurt but was extremely painful.

--

"Tsu, are you... close?" Hisoka panted. His lungs were closing up.

"Yes baby, if you need to, I can finish myself," Tsuzuki told him. Hisoka shook his head, moving a little faster.

"No, I w-want to...do this...I... need to f-feel this," the boy whispered, his eyes beginning to get heavy and his limbs were starting to feel as though they weren't attached to him anymore.

"Hisoka, let me help you move," Tsuzuki said. Hisoka nodded as he laid himself over the man's chest.

Tsuzuki brought his hands to the youth's hips, gently lifting him up and down, creating a steady pace. Hisoka looked up, tears in his green eyes. He felt ashamed that he couldn't even give his love pleasure. Swallowing, he felt Tsuzuki spasm inside him as lifted Hisoka off him to finish his climax on himself.

"Ready baby?" Tsuzuki asked, rolling Hisoka to the side of him.

Hisoka nodded and Tsuzuki reached over to take hold of the dagger. Scooping up some of his seed he then carefully sliced into his own arm, allowing the blood to run down his forearm to pool in his palm, mixing with his semen.

Biting his lip, tears filled his eyes as he took the dagger and dragged it across the boy's arm. Hisoka cried out as the dagger sliced into his skin, and the tears in Tsuzuki's eyes fell. Moving his hand to catch Hisoka's blood, he dragged the dagger into the mixture he'd made in his hand.

"I love you so much Hisoka. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," Tsuzuki whispered as he brought the mixture coated dagger to Hisoka's chest.

Hisoka screamed in pain as the dagger cut into his flesh, tracing the first line of the curse. Tsuzuki bit his lip so hard he drew blood. His hand was shaking as Hisoka cried out, his hands winding in the sheets. Panting, Hisoka felt like throwing up, but Tsuzuki looked at him, leaning down to kiss him once again, he continued to slice into his lover's skin.

Somewhere at the halfway mark of retracing the curse the boy passed out from the pain and loss of blood. The bed was a mess. Blood running down over Hisoka's sides to soak into the white cotton fabric of the sheets. Tsuzuki's hands were covered in his lover's blood and he had to force himself not to lose it as he watched the small frame shake.

There seemed to be no end to the bleeding. Tsuzuki started to panic as he kept wiping up the blood with the gauze Watari had given him. Tossing the bloodied material on the floor and quickly grabbing another one, dipping each piece he grabbed into the antiseptic to keep Hisoka from getting an infection.

"Con...tinue Tsu," Hisoka whispered weakly.

"Oh Soka, I hate doing this!" Tsuzuki cried, raising the blade again.

"Y-you're almost d-done," the boy said, opening his eyes to look at Tsuzuki. He smiled as best he could and held in his cry as the dagger cut into him again.

Finally, when the marks on Hisoka's chest were completely retraced, Tsuzuki threw the dagger across the room and lifted Hisoka. Holding him tightly to his chest as the boy bled and his breathing slowed down. He'd stopped shaking and Tsuzuki started crying as he realized, Hisoka had closed his eyes and wasn't responding.

"Baby, please, talk to me, open your eyes for me. You have the most amazing eyes. Let me see them Hisoka. Please don't leave me," Tsuzuki cried.

Hisoka wouldn't wake up and he'd stopped breathing completely.

--

"It's been an hour. It shouldn't be taking this long," Watari mumbled, he was pacing back and forth in the break room.

"Let's go check on them," Tatsumi suggested. Watari nodded and they headed to the infirmary.

Watari quietly opened the door as he and Tatsumi stepped into the room. Tsuzuki was crying, holding Hisoka in his arms as blood continued to drip from the boy's chest and arm. He wasn't moving. Watari gently took Hisoka from Tsuzuki's arms, then grabbed some gauze and started cleaning the boy up as Tatsumi pulled Tsuzuki off the bed.


	17. Anticlimatic

It took Watari over an hour to get the blood to stop streaming. Finally, he'd gotten it to a slow trickle, but it was slowly starting to clot and Hisoka was beginning to breathe again. Weezing heavily but breathing nonetheless.

Watari hooked him up to an I.V. He'd moved Hisoka to a clean bed and began to clean the infirmary. The sheets would have to be thrown away, they were too soaked and stained to keep. He picked up the dagger that Tsuzuki had thrown across the room and sterilized it, planning to give it back to Tatsumi to return to the artifacts room.

Brushing Hisoka's bangs out of his face, the blonde whispered, "You need to be okay bon. I know none of us can handle losing you. Especially Tsuzuki."

Hisoka's eyes opened slightly, allowing a small glimpse of hazy green eyes, he smiled a little, then fell back to sleep.

--

Tatsumi was trying to calm Tsuzuki down in his office. But Tsuzuki wouldn't stop shaking and crying. He was sitting on the sofa in Tatsumi's office. His head was in his hands and he was mumbling something.

"Tsuzuki, what are you talking about?" Tatsumi asked.

"If Hisoka dies, I'm going to kill Muraki," Tsuzuki said looking up.

"Tsuzuki, you know that's not a good thing to do," the secretary told him.

Tsuzuki jumped up, his hands curling into fists, he started yelling.

"And you think losing Hisoka is a good thing? You think losing the one good thing I've ever had is good? That bastard is going to pay for this if I lose him!" He shouted.

Tatsumi was taken aback. He'd never seen Tsuzuki this way. It was either happy or sad, he'd seen the man angry, but never this furious.

"I know Tsuzuki. I want Muraki to pay for this as well, but..."

Tatsumi didn't really know what to say. He wanted Muraki dead as well for everything the man had ever done and now with what was happening to Hisoka. Tatsumi was forcing himself not to teleport to Chijou to kill the doctor himself.

"But what Tatsumi? Enma wouldn't like it? I no longer care! My lover and partner is dying! We don't even know if the cure worked. He's not responding and he wouldn't stop bleeding. Do you even care what this is doing to us? To him? Do you know wh..." Tsuzuki was cut off by Watari entering the office.

"How is he Watari?" Tsuzuki asked.

"His blood is slowly clotting and though he is still having trouble breathing, he responded to me," the scientist told both men.

"Can I go see him?" Tsuzuki asked, Watari nodded and Tsuzuki practically ran out of the room.

"He wants to kill Muraki," Tatsumi told Watari.

The blonde dropped himself into a chair, sighing.

"I don't blame him, can you? I've never seen so much blood Tatsumi. And from a shinigami no less. We are supposed to be able to heal and that kid is a mess. I can't blame Tsuzuki for wanting revenge on the man that did this to bon. Heck, even I am forcing myself not to hurt Muraki," Watari said.

"And you think I'm not? What the hell. Do you all think I'm so cold that I don't want revenge?" Tatsumi shouted. He was angry. The shadows in the room drew shorter and wavered.

"I didn't say you were cold Tatsumi. I know better than that. What I'm saying is why are we constantly told not to do something about Muraki? After everything that man has done, we can't do anything about him," Watari asked.

Tatsumi sighed.

"Bon isn't out of the clear you know. He could still die. And I for one am sick of being told not to do something about that damn psychopath. I sit here day after day and watch that man hurt the people I care about and I'm not supposed to do something about it?" Watari told him, standing up.

"Yutaka, I understand alright. If it were you in bon's situation, I don't know what I'd do. But we could lose our positions if we take revenge," Tatsumi told him.

Watari walked over to him, wrapping his arms around Tatsumi, he placed a kiss on the man's lips. They were warm. People wouldn't guess how warm Tatsumi really was. Considering he had such a cool aura about him, but Watari knew his lover could be very loving.

"I'm sorry Sei. I am just really worried about bon and Tsuzuki too. If he loses him, Tsuzuki is going to break," Watari said.

"I know that," Tatsumi replied, holding onto Watari.

--

Hisoka's breathing was slowly evening out. Tsuzuki was still shocked that the boy was bleeding, but he felt slightly relieved that the blood seemed to be clotting. Tsuzuki sat on the edge of the bed, taking one of Hisoka's hands into his own. He squeezed gently. Smiling when he felt a light returning squeeze.

"Hey baby," Tsuzuki said softly when Hisoka's eyes opened a little.

"T-tsu," Hisoka whispered, tears slipping from his eyes.

"Shh, don't talk," Tsuzuki told him.

"I-I'm s-sorry," Hisoka replied, licking his dry lips.

"Why would you be sorry? You did nothing wrong. You just need to get better. We have a trip to go on," Tsuzuki said, his own eyes filling with tears.

Hisoka nodded and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"So... s-sleepy," the teen whispered, closing his eyes.

Tsuzuki wiped the tears from Hisoka's eyes, leaning down to place a kiss on the boy's lips.

"Just rest baby," Tsuzuki whispered.

--

The next day, Hisoka didn't wake up again. Which made Tsuzuki worry even more. Even though his breathing had become steadier and his blood had now begun to fully clot, Watari kept taking blood samples and doing tests. The cuts on Hisoka's chest were still not healing, so Tsuzuki kept checking them and changing the bandages every few hours.

Tsuzuki didn't understand why his partner wouldn't wake up. He'd talked to him the night before and he had thought that Hisoka was recovering. That was until the curse marks flared up and Hisoka's body began spasming. Watari told Tsuzuki that Hisoka had a seizure. Though why, the scientist couldn't figure out.

Tsuzuki was a mess again. He thought, by performing the cure Hisoka would be alright. Not immediately, but soon. Now, it was as though, the cure had reactived the first curse. Which meant, Muraki had tricked them. By telling them how to get rid of the poison, he neglected to inform them by doing so would reactivate the first curse.

Looking at the curse marks glowing against Hisoka's pale skin made Tsuzuki's eyes widen. He then swore and ran out of the infirmary to Watari's lab, where the scientist was going over the latest test results.


	18. Catch 22

"So why is the first curse is flaring up? I thought it would be gone by curing the second one," Tatsumi asked Watari.

"I'm not sure. Only Muraki can tell us why. I think by curing the second curse, which had poison in it, activated the first one. We need to find out why or bon's going to die," Watari replied.

"Watari!" Tsuzuki yelled.

"Tsuzuki, what's wrong? Is Hisoka..." Watari began.

"No, but I think I know what's wrong with him," Tsuzuki replied.

"What?" Tatsumi asked.

"I think, Muraki left out something. When I cured him, I was curing the poison. But, what if Muraki's first curse was meant to reactivate itself if someone else tried to remove it?" Tsuzuki told them.

"But you weren't trying to remove the first curse," Tatsumi answered.

"I know, but, perhaps, it's like a backup security system. If you try to remove it the way it was put on, then it counts down until it reactivates. Even though we only tried to remove the poison from the second curse, it was with the way the first curse was put on Hisoka," Tsuzuki explained.

"So because it wasn't Muraki's blood, it reactivated the first curse," Watari said.

Tsuzuki nodded.

"It's possible. I can't come up with anything else. So your theory could be true," Watari said.

"Kurosaki-kun shouldn't be susceptible to the first curse," Tatsumi interjected.

"The curse was bonded to Hisoka's soul, so even though he died, he still had the curse. It just didn't affect him unless he had a nightmare, then the marks would flare up. But now since we did the cure for the poison, the curse is behaving as though Soka is alive and is killing him again," explained Tsuzuki.

"Because the cure was done in the same way that the curse was put on in the first place. We need to do something and fast because I am not sure how long bon has if your theory is correct," Watari said.

"That bastard. I've had enough of this. I'm going to have another chat with our wonderful doctor," Tatsumi said, his lips drawn into a thin line and his sapphire blue eyes filled with ice.

"I'm going with you again Tatsumi," Watari told the secretary.

"I'll stay here with Hisoka," Tsuzuki said. Tatsumi nodded.

"I'll go check on bon before we go," Watari said, as he and Tsuzuki walked out of his lab and headed for the infirmary.

--

Watari followed Tsuzuki to the infirmary. Tatsumi wanted to leave in about an hour, so Watari wanted to check on Hisoka before they left.

"The curse seems worse for some reason. But at least he's not bleeding anymore. And his breathing is steady," Watari said as he changed the bandages on Hisoka's chest and arm.

"He's still not healing though," Tsuzuki commented. Watari nodded sadly, finishing up what he was doing, then leaving so Tsuzuki could have some private time with Hisoka.

"Baby, Tatsumi and Watari are going to talk to Muraki again," Tsuzuki whispered as he laid down next to the boy.

He gently clasped Hisoka's hand in his and kissed him softly on the cheek. Hisoka's eyes fluttered open and he tilted his head to look at Tsuzuki.

"Tsu, why going... again?" Hisoka whispered.

"Because, by removing the second curse, we somehow made the first curse active again. It's behaving as though you're alive," Tsuzuki explained.

Hisoka's green eyes widened and he coughed when he tried to speak.

"Easy baby," Tsuzuki said, brushing the boy's honey colored bangs from his forehead.

"Muraki... knew this...w-would happen," Hisoka whispered.

"Yes. Watari is going with Tatsumi to Chijou to confront Muraki again," the older shinigami replied, "I'm going to stay here with you alright?"

Hisoka nodded. He lifted an arm to gently caress Tsuzuki's cheek. He smiled at his partner, trying to pull the man's head closer.

"Tsu," Hisoka said.

"Yeah?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Kiss me please," the boy said.

Tsuzuki leaned down to kiss his lover lightly on the lips. Hisoka wrapped his arm around Tsuzuki's neck, pulling him closer. When Tsuzuki went to pull away, Hisoka moaned and whispered no. So Tsuzuki deepened the kiss. Hisoka pulled away and breathed in deeply, kissing his partner's neck.

"Mmm Soka, stop. We need to stop," Tsuzuki murmured.

"Don't wanna stop," Hisoka whispered.

"Baby, you're still sick and I don't want to hurt you," the amethyst eyed shinigami told him.

"I don't care. I want you. I'm tired of sleeping and feeling you near me and not being able to touch you," Hisoka replied, his green eyes filling with tears.

"Please don't cry. I'll give you anything you want. But please, don't cry," Tsuzuki whispered.

"Then make love to me Tsu. I miss you being close," the teen told him.

Tsuzuki nodded and gently undressed himself and then Hisoka. The curse marks were still flaring but he didn't notice them. He gently laid on top of his lover, putting his weight on his arms so he wouldn't hurt the teen.

--

Tsuzuki rolled to the side, panting heavily. Hisoka was drenched in sweat, but he was cuddled close to his partner, smiling happily despite being exhausted. Tsuzuki had his arm around Hisoka, while fingers played with the boy's dampened hair.

"I love you Tsu," Hisoka breathed out.

"I love you too baby," Tsuzuki replied, leaning to kiss his partner.

"Do you think Muraki will tell Tatsumi and Watari how to remove the curse?" the boy asked.

"Well, I don't think he has a choice. Tatsumi was pretty angry," the older male answered.

"I wish we could just get rid of that man for good," Hisoka said, yawning.

"You need to rest Soka. As much as I enjoyed making love to you, I think we over did it," Tsuzuki told him.

"I know, but I don't care. I needed you. To make up for everything I'm putting you through," the boy told him.

"Stop that. You're not putting me through anything. I want to be here. I want to be with you," Tsuzuki insisted.

"I know but I still feel bad Tsu. I love you so much and look what you've had to do for me," Hisoka whispered, tears pricking at the back of his eyes.

"You didn't force me Hisoka. I wanted to take care of you. I still do. I love you. Now stop thinking that way and get some sleep okay? You still need a lot of rest," Tsuzuki told him.

"Alright, but will you sleep with me?" the teen asked.

"Of course, now sleep," the elder said.

Hisoka nodded, cuddling closer and closing his eyes. Tsuzuki kissed the boy on the forehead before shutting his own eyes and falling asleep himself.


	19. Insistence

Tatsumi and Watari picked Muraki up from his office. They'd waited outside the hospital he worked at and when he came out, they fell in beside him. Muraki smirked, but the icy coldness simmering in Tatsumi's blue eyes wiped the smirk away.

"So my dear shinigami, what can I do for you today?" Muraki asked as he unlocked his front door and held it open for the other two men.

Tatsumi followed Watari in as he answered, "Stop playing games with us. I warned you, if you did anything else to hurt my friends, you would regret it."

"I'm not following you. I'm sure the cure worked," Muraki said innocently.

"Cut the crap Muraki! You know damn well what using your cure did to Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi replied with deadly calm in his voice.

Muraki raised an eyebrow.

"Bon is dying from the original curse, which some became active again once Tsuzuki cured the poison," Watari explained.

"Ah, and you think I forgot something important?" Muraki asked.

"Anything to get rid of the boy isn't that right doctor? What was it you called him, oh yes, a nuisance always getting in the way of what you want. Which, we all know is Tsuzuki. But you can't have Tsuzuki. Not even if bon dies," Watari told the man.

"So doctor, tell us how to cure the first curse and maybe, I won't hurt you too much for all that you've put my friends through," Tatsumi interjected, his hands lifting as the shadows swirled around him.

--

"Do you think he's telling them how to fix this?" Hisoka asked a little bit after he and Tsuzuki had woken up.

Hisoka felt a lot better after he'd slept. He was still tired, but not as much as he had been. The lower half of his body still hurt when he moved, but he thought that had more to do with his and Tsuzuki's activities earlier than anything else. Not that he minded. He'd take that kind of pain over the kind Muraki made him feel any day.

"I'm not sure. But if he doesn't, he might not be able to walk. Tatsumi is pretty angry. He really does care about you," Tsuzuki told him, handing him a glass of cold water.

"I know. Watari told me that no one here could handle losing me. Especially you," Hisoka replied, taking a sip of the water.

"He's right. So you better be ok," the older male told him.

"I will be ok Tsu. I won't leave you. We've come this far and I won't let Muraki win," the boy answered, leaning up to kiss his partner on the lips.

"Good boy. Are you hungry? Wakaba brought in some soup and I can go microwave it for you," Tsuzuki told him.

"Yeah, I could eat. Thank you," Hisoka said.

"No need, I'll be right back baby," Tsuzuki told him, walking out of the room.

When Tsuzuki left the room, Hisoka slowly got up, struggling in his weakened state and walked to the bathrrom. Once inside, he began crying. The marks on his body burned and he hadn't wanted to cry in front of his partner. A knock on the door had him choking back his tears.

"Soka," Tsuzuki said, opening the door and leaning down to pick him up.

"I'm sorry Tsu. I tried not to cry. But it hurts so much," Hisoka cried, wrapping his arms around his partner as the man carried him back to bed.

"Shh baby, if you need to cry, go ahead. I'll hold you until you push me away," Tsuzuki told him.

"I won't ever push you away. I just feel so weak. I want to get better. For you, for us, for myself," the boy sobbed as Tsuzuki laid him in the bed and crawled in next to him, holding him tightly.

"You'll get better baby, just eat and rest ok? Tatsumi and Watari should be back soon," Tsuzuki said.

Hisoka nodded as he sat up, Tsuzuki got the bowl of soup he'd left on the tray table. He lifted the spoon and held it up for his partner. Hisoka smiled at leaned in to sip at the soup, making Tsuzuki smile.

--

Tatsumi's shadows were still swirling around the secretary. Watari was amazed that the man hadn't done anything with them yet. He was still expecting the shadows to envelope Muraki, but Tatsumi had an iron willed control on them.

"Tell us how to remove the curse Muraki," Tatsumi said.

"I already told you how. If the bouya is dying, then I don't know why," Muraki told him, "Pity, he's such a beautiful boy too."

The shadows suddenly flew out before Watari had even noticed a change in the room. They swirled around Muraki, wrapping around him like a cocoon. Flinging the man's body backwards just like they had done the previous time Tatsumi and Watari had visited.

"I am really tired of your bullshit doctor. Now, if you would kindly tell us how to cure the original curse, I would be more than happy not to snap your neck," Tatsumi ground out.

"Tatsumi, do you think..." Watari stopped when Tatsumi looked at him, the coldness in his eyes softening when he saw Watari.

"It's alright Watari," Tatsumi told him. Watari nodded and stepped back.

"I'm usually a very patient man doctor. But you've stretched it too far and if you don't tell us what we need to know and be honest this time, I'm going to make sure you don't ever leave this house," Tatsumi told the doctor.

Muraki sneered, as he tried to pick himself up, but the shadows held him in place against the wall. Tatsumi walked over to the doctor. Watari's mouth dropped open when he saw Tatsumi punch the man in the face.

The doctor turned his head to the side, spitting out blood. Watari had never seen Tatsumi hit anyone. He'd always used his shadows to do what he needed. Watari wanted to kiss his lover right then and there but he couldn't.

"Now that that's out of the way, start talking," the secretary ordered. Muraki glared, struggling against the shadows still holding him.

"You need my blood to mix with the bouya's. Then you need to do the cure again," Muraki ground out through gritted teeth.

"So, we need to mix your blood with bon's, then do the entire cure over again? Are you playing with us?" Watari asked.

"No, I'm not playing with you," Muraki snapped, "You just need my blood mixed with the bouya's and Tsuzuki's. No semen or anything else as you've done that already."

"This better work. Watari, head back to Meifu and tell Tsuzuki and Kurosaki-kun what we just heard," Tatsumi told the scientist.


	20. What Doesn't Kill You

**A/N**: Well Tenshi-gosperu made a comment to me once on msn, that she thought I could get to 20 chapters in a story. Though, I have made it up to 16 chapters, I wasn't so sure about 20.

I have to say that this story is my favorite out of all the ones I have written and it just flowed. And I think I did really well on it (I'm allowed to say that right?)

I do feel that 20 chapters is enough. As I put Hisoka and Tsuzuki through so much in this story and it's finally time to wrap it up and let them enjoy themselves lol.

So, thanks to laustic, I really appreciate all your wonderful reviews and to everyone else who reviewed and read this story. I hope you enjoyed it.

--

Tsuzuki was trying to cheer Hisoka up by making plans for their trip. But the boy just kept smiling and nodding as though he didn't really think there would be a trip. Tsuzuki was starting to worry since Hisoka seemed to be falling back into a state of depression.

"We don't have to discuss this now you know Soka," Tsuzuki said.

"It's ok. I just don't know where we should go," Hisoka replied, _or if we'll even be able to go,_ he silently added.

"I know what you're thinking, and you need to stop," Tsuzuki told him.

Hisoka blinked up at him. "What?" he asked.

"You'll get better. Then we'll go on a vacation. Just the two of us. I might not let you out of the hotel room for a few days though," Tsuzuki said, winking at him. Hisoka laughed and leaned over to kiss him.

Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him close. Watari suddenly appeared in the room.

"Watari, what's up? Where's Tatsumi?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Oh no, I forgot to take a sample, come with me. Tsuzuki hold bon," Watari said.

"Where are we going Watari?" Tsuzuki questioned, standing and lifting Hisoka into his arms.

"Muraki's house," the blonde told them, grabbing a small bag from a cabinet. Then the three of theml teleported Chijou and Muraki's house.

--

"Do you really think it's necessary to keep me pinned to the wall Mr. Tatsumi?" Muraki asked.

He was getting tired and his body hurt from the position of being held against a wall.

"I think you're fine where you are. I suspect Watari will be back soon having forgotten to draw some of your blood," the secretary told him.

Muraki sighed. He was beginning to think messing around with the shinigami was a bad idea. They were no fun at all. Plus, he wasn't too happy about his dry cleaning bills or the pain medication he now had to keep a prescription for.

Watari appeared with Tsuzuki holding Hisoka.

"Watari, you forgot something," Tatsumi said dryly.

"I know I know. I brought them so I wouldn't waste anymore time," the scientist told him. He pulled out a syringe from the little bag he'd brought with him.

Walking over to Muraki, he uncapped the syringe as Tatsumi pulled up one of the doctor's sleeves. Watari told the doctor to make a fist then poked him with the needle, beginning to draw his blood.

"So, all we have to do is mix your blood with Tsuzuki's and bon's yes?" Watari asked. He wanted to make sure there was no room for error.

--

Tsuzuki walked into Muraki's living room still carrying Hisoka, he put the boy down on the sofa and sat down next to him. Watari came in a few moments later holding a scalpel and the syringe. He also had a small petri dish.

"We'll use this to mix all the blood together. According to Muraki, it just needs to be injected this time since you've already retraced the curse. The blood mixture only needs to merge with the existing mixture inside bon," Watari told them.

Tsuzuki held out his arm and Watari sliced into it, letting the blood drip into the petri dish. Then he repeated the process with Hisoka's arm. They were all happy to see that the boy's blood clotted, though the wound didn't heal. Handing a bandage to Tsuzuki, the amethyst eyed shinigami wrapped up his partner's arm.

Watari squirted Muraki's blood into the dish, then gently shook it to mix the blood together. Using a fresh syringe, he drew the blood mixture into it and then looked at Hisoka. The empath held out his arm. Watari asked him to make a fist, then injected the blood into him.

Nothing happened for awhile, then Hisoka seized up. Tsuzuki looked about ready to panic. Watari tried to calm the boy down. Tatsumi walked into the room, leaving Muraki pinned to the wall with his shadows.

"What's wrong with him?" the secretary asked.

"He's having a seizure. Can you find out why from Muraki?" Watari asked. Tatsumi nodded.

Tsuzuki was holding Hisoka, trying to hold him down so Watari could attempt to stop the seizure.

"Muraki says it's just his body mixing the blood. He should be fine in a bit," Tatsumi said when he came back into the room.

Tsuzuki was pissed and worried. He wanted to go hurt Muraki, but he wouldn't leave his lover. Watari helped Tsuzuki hold Hisoka down while the boy slowly stopped seizing. The curse marks were beginning to disappear along with the slivery lines of the scars that the knife had made to put the curse on. Also, the wounds on Hisoka's arms and chest were beginning to heal.

Tatsumi looked at Watari and smiled. It seemed that the worst was over. Tsuzuki pulled Hisoka into his lap, holding him close when the boy had completely stopped shaking and spasming. He too noticed the wounds healing and the fading of the marks. He smiled down at Hisoka when the boy opened his bright green eyes and smiled up at him.

--

"Is Kurosaki-kun alright Watari?" Tatsumi asked.

Watari nodded, and smiled when he heard Tsuzuki exhale a deep breath. Cleaning up everything and retrieving his bag, Watari turned to Tatsumi.

"I'm going to head to Meifu. I want to run some tests just to be on the safe side. But I'm pretty sure he's alright," Watari said.

"Ok. Tsuzuki you and Kurosaki-kun go with Watari. I'll take care of things down here," Tatsumi told them.

"What are you going to do Tatsumi Sir?" Hisoka asked as Tsuzuki picked him up.

"I'm going to get rid of a nuisance," the secretary replied. Hisoka nodded, then looked up at Tsuzuki.

"Let's go Tsu, there's nothing else for us here," the boy told his partner.

Watari, Tsuzuki and Hisoka teleported back to Meifu. Tatsumi walked back into the room with Muraki.

"Well doctor, it seems your blood worked," Tatsumi said.

"I told you. Now could you get these damn things off me? I'm starting to cramp up," Muraki snapped.

"Oh, I don't believe I can do that. See, you've caused a lot of pain and misery for my friends. And I know, if I let you go, you'll only do it again. I can't allow that anymore," Tatsumi told the doctor.

Muraki's eyes narrowed as Tatsumi said "Sayonara doctor," as the shadows tightened until Muraki stopped breathing.

Tatsumi surveyed the scene. He knew he would have to answer to Enma and even to Konoe. But Konoe would understand. And if Enma didn't, then that was fine with him. He no longer felt it was right to stand aside and watch his friends be hurt.

Sighing, he teleported back to Meifu. He had a budget report to complete.

--

It seemed like a lifetime ago that Hisoka had been poisoned. Now with the ordeal behind them and Muraki gone for good, Hisoka and Tsuzuki found a peace they didn't know existed. Hisoka was glad that Tatsumi had killed Muraki. He had long since given up the idea of revenge being his sole purpose of being a shinigami. He had an even better purpose now.

Walking along the beach, his jeans rolled up and holding his sneakers in his hand, he sighed as he watched the sandpipers running back and forth as the tide washed up and down the beach. He was content, with the breeze softly blowing through his honey colored hair.

"Soka! Soka!" Tsuzuki yelled as he ran across the beach to get to him.

Hisoka stopped walking as Tsuzuki ran up to him, picking him up and kissing him.

"Hi baby," Tsuzuki said, his amethyst eyes shining brightly.

"Tsu, you're late," Hisoka chastised softly.

"I know, but I wanted to get something and the store was busy. Forgive me?" Tsuzuki asked.

Hisoka nodded, "What did you get?" he asked.

Tsuzuki reached into a pocket in his pants, pulling out a small black box.

"I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of eternity with you, if you'll have me," the older shinigami told him. He opened the box and Hisoka's breath caught.

There laying on a black satin bed, was a gold ring engraved with ivy. Set into the swirls of the vines, there were amethyst and emeralds.

"Tsu?" Hisoka asked.

"Soka, I want to be with you forever," Tsuzuki said.

Hisoka nodded, tears in his eyes as he held up his hand, as Tsuzuki picked up the ring and slid it onto the boy's ring finger. Leaning down to place a kiss on his partner's lips. Hisoka wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck and kissed him back. When they broke apart, Hisoka was smiling.

"Take me back to the hotel room Tsu," Hisoka said softly.

Tsuzuki smiled down at him as he picked him up, looking around, he saw no one around, so he teleported them both to their hotel room. Setting Hisoka down on the bed, he climbed on top of him, kissing him again as he began undressing him.They broke apart so Tsuzuki could slide the boy's jeans off him.

"I love you so much. I know you hate when I thank you, but without you, I would have been gone. Thank you for loving me enough to keep me here with you," Hisoka whispered.

Tsuzuki stopped what he was doing and lifted his head, his amethyst eyes filling with tears.

"You belong with me baby, just as I belong with you. I'm never letting you go. Ever," Tsuzuki whispered back.

Hisoka pulled his partner's head down and kissed him. Truly believing that they were meant to be together. After everything, there was only thing left to do. And that was to just love one another.


End file.
